


Lucius and Narcissa

by thunder_kitkat



Series: Toujours Pur [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aristocracy, Arranged Marriage, Blood and Violence, Character Study, Decadence, Desire, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Sex, Engagement, F/M, Falling In Love, First Time, Fist Fights, Headcanon, Love, Love at First Sight, Lucius Malfoy-centric, Lust, Malfoy Manor (Harry Potter), Marriage Proposal, Narcissa Black Malfoy-centric, One True Pairing, POV Lucius Malfoy, POV Narcissa Black Malfoy, Pre-Canon, Pre-Hogwarts, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Pureblood Politics (Harry Potter), Pureblood Society (Harry Potter), Romance, Sex, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Sexual Violence, True Love, Wedding Night, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 52,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26102848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunder_kitkat/pseuds/thunder_kitkat
Summary: At 22 Lucius Malfoy is about to get married. The unexpected meeting with a mysterious woman in the woods changes his life. Malfoys' life story. Headcanon, Jane Austen vibes.
Relationships: Abraxas Malfoy & Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Black Lestrange & Narcissa Black Malfoy & Andromeda Black Tonks, Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Rodolphus Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy
Series: Toujours Pur [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2087313
Comments: 8
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

Lucius Malfoy woke up early that day, it was barely dawn. He laid motionless for a moment, staring at the decorative stucco on the ceiling, then violently threw back the sheets, stretched, and got out of bed. He walked over to the window and flung it open, savoring the summer breeze on his face and the morning chirping of birds. A blissful expression crossed his face for a moment; however it quickly changed to a grimace of annoyance, and Lucius hid into the room.

He waved his wand flawlessly - vests, shirts, trousers, and jackets obediently flew out of the closet, just to hang in a neat row in front of their owner. Though Lucius usually took a longer moment to choose his outfit, today it took him no more than a few minutes; he didn't feel like fancy accessories or extravagant colors. He chose a simple and elegant black that perfectly pointed out his porcelain complexion. He turned sideways, long platinum hair glistened in the sun when Lucius smiled and looked at his reflection in the mirror. His smile however had nothing to do with joy - it was the fake smile of a man who was not twenty-two years old, only at least three times as much. Although he tried his best, he did not manage to completely hide his irritation.

A moment later, he opened the door to his chamber and cautiously looked out into the corridor. As he had suspected, the whole house was sleeping - even the servants and their house elf were deeply asleep.

“It must be before five” Lucius thought as he carefully descended downstairs and sneaked through the large living room and then the Malfoy Manor hall. “Excellent, no one will disturb me.” 

When he was outside, he ran down the long avenue studded with ancient oaks before he slowed down in the garden. As he traversed his vast estate, even in such a foul mood, Lucius could never get over how beautiful his house and the grounds surrounding it were. Well-kept gardens, a nearby forest crossed by a small river, water-meadows, a pleasant shade of trees, and a lake in which he liked to swim during the Summer days. Lucius loved his house, he knew that as his father's only son he would be responsible for the Malfoy legacy, yet there was this one idea that he hated more than anything, and he didn’t know if he would ever accept it. It was the marriage arranged by his parents.

“I know very well why we’re having this stupid party today” he thought angrily as he entered the stables and headed to the stall of his beloved black stallion “Mother's birthday, what a nonsense, it's in three weeks for fuck’s sake” he thought as he saddled his horse. Lucius had never used magic to do it, this activity always relaxed him “All this just to introduce to me the candidates suitable for my future wife, actually suitable for them, with a sufficiently high dowry.” 

Lucius led his horse out of the stall, pulled up the girth, put on his riding gloves, and mounted his stallion gracefully. He glanced at his reflection in the window - he knew perfectly well how handsome he was, how well he was built, how regular and delicate, yet masculine his facial features were. For the first time in his life, however, he felt disappointment at the thought of his appearance. After a moment he spurred his horse and left for a ride.

Lucius wasn’t stupid, he was well aware of what his parents had planned for him. He knew that he would never really be able to marry a woman he would simply love. Arranged marriage was a common practice, and Lucius knew that his parents would choose him a wife, and his opinion on this matter would not be taken under consideration.

“With a bit of luck, your wife will become your best friend” Abraxas said to him one day, when they had whisky in the smoking lounge “This happened with me and your mother, now she is the dearest person to me.” 

Lucius had smiled sourly at his father back then and changed the subject. He despised this idea but he was resigned to it. Until last week, when something that completely changed young Mr. Malfoy's life had happened.

Lucius dismounted, unsaddled his horse, and tied it to a tree. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, took off his gloves and sat down, listening to sounds of the forest. A small river hummed in the distance, birds were chirping, the wind was pleasantly blowing in his face - it was the peak of Summer, pleasantly warm and blissful. Lucius unbuttoned his shirt at the neck and rolled up the sleeves, which gave him a slightly swashbuckling look. He relaxed and closed his eyes, when suddenly he heard the sound of approaching hoofs. He got up quickly and curiously looked around, rarely had anyone come this close to his house. He waited in suspense for the situation to unfold, his wand ready, and when a rider burst into the clearing young Mr. Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.

On a pretty, chestnut mare sat a woman, perhaps his age, dressed in an elegant, black riding gear. Waist-length locks of golden hair fell on her back, shining obscenely in the sun. Her face seemed perfect to him; as if carved out of white marble, lips like a rosebud, small, neat nose, high cheekbones, high forehead. And her eyes… The mischievous sparkle in her large, emerald eyes caught his breath. They stood there for a moment, looking at each other in astonishment, both of them unable to move.

"Who… Who are you?" he stammered after a while "I live next door, I've never seen you ..." It seemed to him that the woman on the horse stared at him as eagerly as he did at her.

"Lonely ladies aren't allowed to talk to strangers" - she giggled and Lucius felt his knees buckling.

Had he heard a hint of a French accent in her voice?

She spurred her horse and rode off in the sunshine, just to look back at him for the last time before the turn. From that moment, Lucius Malfoy was no longer the same man.

He came home as if he was in a trance. He ignored his mother, didn't want to see his father, shut himself up in his chambers and sat there alone without food for two days, thinking obsessively about the girl he had met, as if it was the most precious thing that had ever happened to him. Lucius liked women, he enjoyed flirting, the thrill of excitement - the game leading to the grand finale always gave him great satisfaction. He had countless love affairs, more and less significant, but nothing could compare to what he had experienced in the clearing, while looking in the stranger girl's emerald eyes. Lucius never knew such a feeling, he obviously wanted her, at the same time however he felt that he would simply enjoy being with her, talking to her, riding together.

"I want to hold her hand, stroke her golden hair" he thought, rushing around his chambers "I want to listen to her voice, find out what she likes, what she wants..."

Lucius tried desperately to find the mysterious amazon. He hired his house elf to do so, who, much to his disappointment, turned out to be completely useless. Dobby found nothing that could bring his master closer to knowing her identity. This angered young Mr Malfoy, but he had more important things to do now than to punish his servant. He disappeared for days riding around, hoping to meet her again - to no avail. Lucius became moody, rude, refused to talk to his parents or discuss his marriage - until mother and father finally said "enough" and the date of the party during which the choice would finally be made was set for the next Friday.

"I won't get married with any of these women I'm about to meet" he thought furiously, riding through the nearby forest "I'll kill myself if they'll try to force me... If I'm going to get married I'll marry only her. Of course if…"

"If she would want me" he said out loud, feeling faint.

He tried not to think about the fact that she might not be interested in him at all, but such possibility existed, and that was probably the only thing that really scared him. The very thought of living without her was unbearable. Lucius spent most of the day wandering around. He checked every corner, every little nook and cranny, hoping that this time they would meet and his torment would come to an end. Unfortunately, the forest was completely empty; he didn't meet a living spirit on the road leading to a nearby village, until finally, after a whole day spent on fruitless search he gave up, and decided that it was time to go home. The sun was setting as Lucius made his way towards the house, however he was in no hurry, and by the time he reached his destination it was already dark. As he entered the courtyard he heard the buzz coming from the garden and the muffled sounds of classical music. The awareness of what had just happened hit him with all its might and Lucius stared motionlessly at the front of the house, unable to move.

"I forgot about that damn party" he thought with horror as he dismounted from the horse "Great. Just great."

As he turned to stealthily lead the horse back to the stables, frantically wondering how to enter the garden imperceptibly, he heard his father's low, loud voice behind his back. Lucius looked at him reluctantly, he already knew his father was furious. Though Abraxas wasn't showing it, there were notes of disapproval and anger in his voice, and the last thing Lucius wanted to do right now was having a row with his father.

"Where have you been all day?" Abraxas drawled through his teeth, trying to keep calm "Do you realize how much depends on tonight?"

Lucius looked at his father and felt a rebellion rise within him.

"I was on the ride," he said slowly, "I assume it isn't forbidden yet."

"Do you think I don't know what you do while wandering in the woods all day?" Abraxas asked coldly "Yes, Dobby didn't want to reveal it, but in the end he had to tell me that you asked him to look for a girl you had accidentally met on one of your rides.

Lucius was breathless for the moment, this little cunt betrayed him - now his parents will put even more pressure on the wedding. If not for that he could be able to win some more time.

"I don't know what you're talking about, father," Lucius drawled icily. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Since when do you care about my affairs anyway?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot? Do you honestly think I'll let your childish crush affect the welfare of our family? Abraxas's look was sharp as a knife "You will go to your chambers right now, take a bath and change your clothes…"

"Don't order me!"

"I'll do as I see fit. You’re two hours late, your mother is distraught; what you've done is reprehensible" Abraxas said coldly "You brought us shame. And now you’ll go to your chambers, take a bath, change your clothes, and you _will_ go down to the garden to meet the candidates for your future wife. We've already waited long enough with this."

Lucius looked at his father with hatred and realized that he was in a losing position. He knew when it was possible to try and argue and when discussion was excluded. He had never felt so incapacitated, so out of control of his life as he was at this moment. He pressed the reins into his father's hand and walked away, cursing under his breath.

"We spoiled you too much, son," Abraxas said to himself. "Too much."

Lucius lingered as long as he could, but eventually he had to go to the party. As he entered the garden he felt countless gazes sticking to the nape of his neck and the murmur of excited voices. Everyone was staring at young Mr Malfoy; as if they wanted to see right through him. Lucius never liked parties and banquets, he went there because it was expected of him. As a highborn gentleman he had multiple duties, but if it was up to him he gladly would limit his attendance to social events. He scanned the garden carefully, out of the corner of his eye he noticed his mother approaching, dragging Alice Bulstrode with her. Judging by the lustful expression on her not-so-pretty face, Galatea has already told her everything about the family's diamond jewelry only waiting for the beloved daughter-in-law. The mere thought of it made him sick. Lucius quickly took a glass of wine and looked around in panic, desperately searching for help. He knew he couldn't avoid his mother or those girls all night long, but the longer he did, the better. He noticed a group of his schoolmates at the table with cold entrées and hurried towards them, gracefully evading his mother. The disappointment on her face gave him vengeful satisfaction "Good, let them suffer for a while" he thought maliciously, while exchanging brief remarks with old friends.

"I see your mother’s trying to match you with Alice Bulstrode," Avery said quietly. "I can't say I envy you…"

"Oh please" Lucius replied gloomily, "My mother thinks she’s an excellent candidate, she has a very large dowry, in addition she’s an only child, who will inherit all the family possessions... Yes, from a dynastic point of view she is very suitable…"

"And from your point of view?"

Lucius glanced at Alice's red and swollen face one more time and felt a growing despair. Not because Alice was ugly and unattractive, he remembered the low, silken voice and the delicate face of a stranger amazon in the forest. Her golden hair shining in the sun, slim waist, lips like a rosebud... He felt something broke in him into thousand pieces, something he would never be able to put together.

"It doesn't matter," he said, looking at his parents whispering to each other, "It had never mattered. I'll talk to you later, all right?"

Lucius drank another two glasses of wine, loosened the bow tie at his neck and, finally, approached his mother. Galatea was talking to a group of young women surrounding her. Lucius thought she looked like a hen surrounded by hutchings.

"Oh, there you are, son, perfect, just perfect… Please, meet our lovely guests, you probably already know Alice, I was just telling her about our summer estate in Devonshire…"

Lucius shook her slightly sweaty hand and forced a wry smile. For the next two hours he talked to the women who had been brought to his house by their parents. No one even pretended why they all came to Malfoy Manor, suddenly Galatea's birthday was completely forgotten. Lucius exchanged perfunctory remarks: I _hope your mother is feeling better now… Yes, of course I heard about this accident, it's really terrible... You don't like horses? Ah what a pity… Five cats? I understand, cute creatures..._

A handshake, a short conversation, a forced smile. _You look extraordinarily good in black, Mr Malfoy. Thank you, it's very nice of you to say so. Maybe a glass of wine? Maybe a blini with caviar?_ Lucius felt that he would suffocate in a moment, he felt that he wouldn't bear this farce anymore, that in a moment something terrible would happen - but nothing terrible happened, and he continued to make pointless conversations and shook hands with friends and strangers. It was indecently hot that night, the air was still, saturated with the scent of jasmine; his throat was dry from the constant chatter, the bow tie and the collar hurt his neck, everything was so wrong. All he dreamed of was to run away, lie down in his cool bedroom, fall asleep and never wake up.

When the birthday cake appeared Lucius took advantage of the moment of confusion and slipped out of the garden. He walked through the ground floor and went out into the courtyard. He took a deep breath, untied the bow tie and unbuttoned his shirt, sat down on the steps in front of the house and buried his face in his hands.

"What am I supposed to do now?" He thought devastated and struggled to hold back tears. He didn't think it would be that bad "I don't want any of them, I don't want any of them, I don't want to marry any of them!" Lucius repeated frantically in his mind, tugging at the cuffs of his shirt "I have to do something, I have to…"

He heard a sudden movement in the hall behind him, got up quickly, and hid behind the great boxwoods beside the stairs.

"Where did he go again" said Galatea, she was clearly displeased "Oh, they will be here soon, what's gotten into him...

"You know that he never liked this idea" said his father, Lucius suppressed an angry snort "But he will have to accept it’ - there was steel in Abraxas's voice "There is no other way."

The parents fell silent and for a long moment nothing happened. Lucius waited tensely for the situation to unfold.

"They will be here soon, who comes almost at the end of the party!" He wondered. "At least I came _at the beginning_ , mother should be displeased…"

But neither mother nor father seemed displeased, they waited patiently until Lucius heard the rattling of wheels on the gravel and the sound of hoofs.

"Good evening, Cygnus" he heard his father's serious voice "We're really happy that you decided to visit us despite such a difficult time... We're very sorry for Druelia's death, it must have been a huge blow for you…”

"Good evening, Abraxas, Galatea…" Cygnus replied politely "We were all shocked, it happened so suddenly, she passed away when I was in France as Cissy needed my help… I couldn't even say goodbye" his voice trembled slightly "To be honest, I hesitated if we should come, but I figured my girls needed some entertainment… Sorry for the late hour, but I wasn't feeling well, besides I'm still too weak to teleport and by carriage the journey takes quite a long time."

"Ah, yes," Lucius thought "how could I forget about Bellatrix and her father..."

"Oh, that's perfectly fine, it's understandable in a situation like this. I'm so sorry for your loss, Cygnus, it was a shock for all of us as well” replied Galatea "And at that moment your middle daughter decided to disgrace the family name…"

"She is no longer my daughter" Cygnus said icily. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I understand" Abraxas replied in a sympathetic voice "Now please, follow me, I hope you’ll have fun."

Two more people left the carriage and all five entered the house in silence. Lucius waited a few minutes before leaving his hideout. Who was the other person? After all, Bellatrix had only one sister, Andromeda, who married this filthy mudblood, disgraced her family, stained blood that had been pure for generations; Lucius grimaced in contempt. Cygnus disinherited her, it must have been someone else. He sighed with resignation and after a while headed back to the garden.

Despite the late hour the party was still in full swing. The atmosphere, however, loosened up significantly. Lucius looked around, in the corner he saw the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's head vomiting on Galatea’s beloved azaleas. His deputy clumsily tried to help him. Lucius smiled with pity, but after a while he caught his father's cold gaze. He read the order in Abraxas’ eyes and staggered without enthusiasm toward his mother, Bella, and mysterious woman. While nibbling at snacks from the silver platters, Lucius observed their two slender figures, no, they couldn't be sisters. Bellatrix had a storm of black, thick curls and olive skin, she had a southern type of beauty. The woman standing next to her, on the other hand, had fair skin and golden hair.

"Maybe it's some distant relative," Lucius thought and took another glass of wine "I'd know if Bella had a third sister…"

After a while, however, he came to the conclusion that he had never been friends with Bella. They knew each other from school of course, but she had never confided in Lucius. He watched them for a moment longer, Bellatrix exchanged a few words with Lucius's mother, and walked away. As he approached Galatea and the stranger, he couldn't help the impression that there was something unusual about the mysterious woman's alabaster skin. Its whiteness was brought out by a bull-blood-colored dress, cut tight on her back. He put the empty glass on the table and slowly walked over to his mother and her companion.

"Ah, here you are, son," said Galatea calmly, but Lucius stopped listening to what she was saying, he had lost all interest in what was going on around him. He was looking at the woman in a maroon dress, the one with alabaster skin and golden hair, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Here in front of him, in his house, at the party during which he had to choose his wife, stood the same woman he had met in the woods a week ago. Though she looked completely different now than she did then, it was her, there could be no mistake. Lucius looked into her emerald eyes - despite the disbelief in them, he could tell that she remembered him too.

"Lucius, LUCIUS" his mother's voice brought him back to earth, "What's gotten into you," she hissed through her teeth. "I wanted to introduce you to Narcissa Black, the youngest daughter of Cygnus Black."

"It's nice to meet you" he muttered, trying to control his shaking hands. "It's very nice to meet you, Lucius Malfoy."

"I'm honored," she said softly, looking into his eyes. "I'm very glad to meet you."

They shook hands, her skin was cool and velvety, Lucius thought he didn't want to touch anything else anymore. Narcissa looked at him curiously, he could see the vivid interest in her eyes. With great regret he tore his eyes away from her face and looked at his mother, who was staring at him suspiciously.

"Please forgive him," she said quickly. "I don't know why he's acting like that."

"Oh, it's nothing" Narcissa smiled, perfectly in control "I'd like a glass of wine, would you go with me?" She looked at him in a meaningful way. 

Lucius nodded, they left his surprised mother alone and headed to the table at the farthest point of the garden. They didn't say a word to each other. Lucius was convinced Narcissa could hear his heartbeat. When they felt they had gone far enough and made sure no one was eavesdropping they sat down at the abandoned banquet table, but neither of them broke the silence. They stared at each other greedily, Lucius wanted to remember every little detail of her face, previously he hadn't noticed that she had a small mole on her left cheek. They sat there for a good twenty minutes, looking at each other.

"Is this really happening?" Narcissa asked suddenly, she had a low, silken voice "I can't believe this is really happening."

Lucius didn't know what to say. The moment he had been dreaming about every day for a week has come, it turned out to be even more perfect than he had imagined. He was torturing himself with the thought that his beloved could come from a Muggle family, he wouldn't bear it, not to say his parents, but fortunately for him, his mysterious amazon turned out to belong to one of the best pureblood families. In addition, his father wants to get her married, so she is free and not bound by any commitments. Lucius couldn't believe his luck, oh, if only she would want him.

"I'm not sure," he said slowly and pinched himself, "I suppose so."

Narcissa smiled at him, her emerald earrings twinkled in the moonlight, Lucius thought he had to put it all on the line. He couldn't miss such an opportunity, he didn't even know when they would meet again, he didn't know if they would be alone either.

"I was thinking about you. I've been looking for you everywhere, this whole week has been the worst torment of my life." He said softly, ashamed of his own audacity "I was afraid that I would never see you again. I know that what I want to ask for is a lot, I... Could I write to you? Or maybe… Could we meet sometime?" He looked at her hopefully. Suddenly, he didn't like the fact that he was sitting in front of her so scruffy, drunk, his shirt unbuttoned at his neck. She was so fresh, so beautiful in the moonlight. Narcissa wasn't looking at him, Lucius knew that now he only had to wait.

"As you know, I recently came back from France" she said, still not looking at him "Oh, of course, you don't know because I didn't tell you that" she remarked reasonably and blushed a little.

Lucius held his tongue, he knew she had come back from France, but he would have felt like an idiot if it was revealed at the first meeting that he had eavesdropped on his parents' conversation with her father.

"You are probably curious about what I was doing abroad? I studied at Beauxbatons because Hogwarts didn't offer a major that would be interesting for me."

Lucius listened attentively, he had at least ten questions ready to ask, but he didn't interrupt her, he wanted to hear the answer first.

"After the death of my mother, my father asked me to come back to England, which I immediately did, abandoning my work on healing magic" she paused for a moment, Lucius heard a note of regret in her voice "Father promised that we would spend the summer in the countryside with his sister who lives nearby. Unfortunately he had recently felt worse because of this embarrassing incident caused by my... Andromeda. He wants to go back to London, I'm not surprised, he prefers to be closer to Saint Mungo... I know he wants me to come back with him." she looked at Lucius finally, but in a different way than before, softly, her eyes were warm "I think that if you write to him and explain the whole situation he should let me stay. I'll also talk to him."

Lucius felt like a great burden was lifted from his shoulders. For the first time in days he felt relieved and at peace. She agreed! Well, of course he didn't know if she would want to marry him, but she wants to stay close to him, she wants to see him! That was something, he couldn't expect more after the first meeting.

"Thank you," he smiled at her. "I think we have to go back now, we're already gone for too long."

"Yes," she said with regret, "Father will be worried soon."

They walked close one another in the moonlight, talking about meaningless things as if nothing had happened between them. Minutes before entering the brightly lit part of the garden Narcissa stopped and took his arm for a moment, they looked at each other, Lucius gently ran his fingers down her silken back. Everything lasted maybe several seconds, in the next minute they were already in the banquet part lit by thousands of chandeliers. Lucius was relieved to find out that no one had noticed their disappearance. Even though it was past three, the party was still going on.

"Cissy, CISSY!" Narcissa turned at the sound of her father's voice "Please, come here!"

They approached Cygnus, Lucius exchanged pleasantries with him, said how delighted he was by his presence, how glad he was that he had brought his daughters, how sorry he was for the death of Cygnus' wife, and how indignant he was at what Andromeda had done.

"We'll be going back now," Cygnus said, shaking Lucius's hand. "Where are your parents? I would like to say goodbye."

"Of course, I'll go look for them."

Lucius easily found his mother and father, he got them out of some deadly dull conversation about banning Muggle-borns from high offices (oh, of course, they are incapable of making the right decisions...) After a while he brought them to Cygnus and they managed to escort their guests. 

He observed their carriage for a little while, then turned on his heel and headed to his chambers. He knew he should go back to the party, say goodbye to everyone and then leave, he knew his parents would be upset, he knew he would have to stand their remarques in the morning but he didn't care. The tension that had built up in him over the last week began to fall down and suddenly Lucius realised how tired he was, and this was only the beginning of the coming battle. Tomorrow he will have to tell Abraxas about Narcissa and Lucius felt sick at the thought of having this conversation. He was sure that his father would find a thousand reasons why Alice Bulstrode would be better for him. Though Narcissa's ancestry was more than adequate, there was a scandal surrounding her family and his parents hated scandals. Lucius remembered very well what happened when Galatea had discovered her husband's affair and moved out for six months. Abraxas claimed then that she was in a spa abroad, he forbade Lucius to even mention it at all, and had blackmailed his lover by something so horrible that she had never said anything about their affair.

"Pathetic" Lucius thought while entering his chambers "They wanted me to marry then I will marry" he knew exactly what he was about to do "But I, and I alone, will decide whom." He sealed the door with a spell, didn't want anyone to disturb him, laid on the bed and fell asleep immediately. For the first time in a long time he slept soundly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucius is going to propose, no one said it would be easy.

The next day Lucius woke up late, the sun was already high in the sky when he opened his eyes and awkwardly leaned on his elbow. He rubbed his numb neck, stretched, and fell back on his back. He was hungover, his head ached, but despite the lack of sleep and fatigue, he felt extremely well. The tightness in his chest, which had not been leaving him for a week, eased, although wasn’t yet completely gone.

Lucius still couldn’t believe what happened yesterday, still amazed that the Blacks had managed to hide Narcissa from him for so long, or that no one had ever informed him that such a person existed. He concluded however that his parents had never had a very close relationship with Cygnus, Narcissa had been abroad for a long time, so he simply didn’t have the opportunity to meet her. He decided not to waste any more time, got up, took a quick bath, dressed, and ran down the stairs to the dining room, his parents were nowhere to be found. He took a buttery croissant from the platter, smeared it with orange marmalade, and ate it in a hurry, realizing that he hadn't eaten anything in over a day. While devouring another croissant, he tried to remember his father's detailed schedule. Until lunch, Abraxas was meeting petitioners and stakeholders, as well as managing the vast, ancestral estate. Lucius thought reluctantly that he would be reprimanded by his father again, this time for ignoring business and not being interested in learning how to manage his inheritance. But the truth was that Lucius learned very quickly, he was bored of endless repetitions concerning the annual income from sawmills in Scotland or silver mines in Wales. He had an innate talent for accounting but Abraxas didn’t or pretended he didn’t see it. After graduating from school, Lucius worked for several years in the Department of International Magical Cooperation and asked to be assigned to the office of the International Confederation of Wizards British Seats, where he mainly dealt with relations with France. Since part of the Malfoy family lived there permanently, he didn't have any problems with strengthening diplomatic relations between the two countries. Later, he traveled across Europe, just to return to England for good six months ago.

During his early career in the ministry, Lucius became interested in the rising power of Lord Voldemort and made contact with him. He passed on lots of relevant information about the actions of the wizarding world's political elite, which earned him the recognition of the Dark Lord. However, he didn't formally join the Death Eaters yet. First, he had to sort out family matters.

"I'm already old, son," his father said to Lucius one day during an afternoon walk. "Of course, you won't take over all my responsibilities immediately, I will stay here as long as it takes, but you must be prepared for the moment when you will become head of the family."

"Of course, father."

Lucius foresaw such a course of events from the moment when, while in Spain, he received a letter asking for his return to the country. He knew that his parents would sooner or later want to move to their comfortable house in London. There, they would be surrounded by friends and have access to all sorts of services that they were deprived of while living in the countryside.

Lucius glanced at the clock, it was almost noon. After a brief reflection, he decided to eat a third croissant, this time with chocolate, drank already cold coffee, and walked briskly to his father's office. Standing in front of the carved, mahogany door, he felt a surge of cold determination, he wouldn't make any concessions. All his life he has done what his parents told him to do, now it will be different. They will have to agree. Lucius took a deep breath, Narcissa stood in front of his eyes for a brief moment, he shook himself off and knocked briefly. After a while, he heard permission to enter, opened the door, and strode confidently into Abraxas's office.

"Good morning, Father," he said politely, as he sat down on the petitioner's chair, "I wanted to talk to you."

"Very well, I thought about it as well'' Abraxas replied, rummaging through the papers, "just let me finish this..."

"As for our investment on the coast, here's a chart and a letter from the overseer," Lucius said, leaning back in his chair and handed his father a large envelope, "We talked about it a few days ago."

Abraxas took the correspondence from him, gave it a cursory glance - everything was correct. It convinced him that Lucius was, after all, well oriented in estate matters. Glancing at his son stealthily over the letter, he noticed that Lucius was in a much better mood than he had been last week, he looked better as well. It was a good sign.

"Very well, son, we shall start with the fact that your yesterday's behavior was unacceptable," said Abraxas, looking at him sternly, "you were late and left without saying goodbye, this is disrespectful."

"When I left, most of those who stayed were so drunk that they wouldn't even remember whether I said goodbye to them or not." Lucius replied coldly, "I didn't want this party and you forced me to be there, you know it very well, father."

Abraxas looked at his son carefully, it seemed to him that Lucius was changed. There was steel in his voice, and the gray eyes in which he could usually read emotions remained unreadable.

"At this party, you asked me to choose a wife," Lucius continued after a while, "so I came to discuss my choice with you."

"I am glad that you made your mind so quickly" Abraxas replied, staring at him "Which of these young ladies caught your attention?"

"Narcissa Black."

"As you probably know, son, she lived in France for a long time."

"I know."

"I don't think this is the right candidate for _you_ ," Abraxas emphasized the last word, nervously tugging at his shirt cuff.

"Why is that? After all, she meets all the requirements" said Lucius calmly "She comes from a wealthy, pure-blood family. The Blacks belong to the strict elite of our country as far as that is concerned. She is well educated, sophisticated, and cultured. I don't think dowry will be a problem in her case."

"Well yes, of course," Abraxas tried not to look at him "But there are some rumors... Narcissa is said to have been involved in a certain relationship in France... They say she is not a virgin!"

Lucius smiled pityingly.

"I don't care about rumors, father," he said coldly. "What does that have to do with whether she is a virgin or not?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? It's indecent! English ladies are not so promiscuous, I don't think Alice or Bella..."

Lucius laughed openly, watching in amusement the expression of indignation on his father's face. He remembered perfectly well what was happening at Hogwarts. Bella began to sleep with Rodolphus during their last year, and saint Alice Bulstrode, whom his parents tried so hard to shove down his throat, was covered by Lucius in the bathroom of Moaning Myrtle in flagrant with McNair during the evening prefect's tour. During his diplomatic mission, Lucius bedded at least three virtuous daughters from the best English families.

"Do you hear yourself, father," he said, shaking his head. "Do you really think that the ladies from the best English houses are waiting politely for their wedding night?" I had an affair with at least three of them" at the sight of his father's reddening face he wanted to laugh "It's obvious that a woman as beautiful as Narcissa won't be a virgin, what age do you live in?

"And you don't mind?!"

"No."

"Abraxas was severely shocked, he did not expect such a turn of events."

"Don't you think there might be a problem with her sister marrying that Mudblood?!" he exploded, losing his temper.

"This is Andromeda's business, not Narcissa's," Lucius said through his teeth. "Why should she be held accountable for her sister's sins?"

Abraxas looked at his son and felt that he was losing ground.

"What do you have in common with this girl ?! Did you make her pregnant?! Abraxas almost shouted, "What did you do!" Have you disgraced her? This is a scandal!"

Lucius put his hand to his forehead and didn't speak for a moment, he was embarrassed. He knew perfectly well that his father was prone to exaggeration, that recently he had often become hysterical and dramatized for any reason, but what was happening at that moment was beyond the boundaries of good taste.

"Father, calm down, your behavior is strictly off-limits," Lucius said, looking straight in his father's eyes "You spat on yourself, it is ridiculous." He got up and went to the window "Do you hear what you say, father? Do you think I can't control myself and rape women at my own home? Indeed, father, this is pathetic."

"Listen to me right now, I will not consent to this marriage!"

Lucius turned and looked at his father, there was something in his expression that made Abraxas instantly fall silent.

"No, now you will listen to me" Lucius drawled icily "All my life I did everything according to your dictation. I took fencing lessons because you told me to, I went to the school you chose for me, I went on vacation where you ordered me, you even chose my friends according to your appreciation" he said faster and faster, without losing his temper "Now you also forced me to participate in this farse, in this embarrassing presentation, as if I were a breeding bull and these women a herd of cows..."

"Your mother won't stand it, she won't survive it..."

"Ah, father, give me a break" Lucius cut in swiftly "I'm not twelve years old so that you can continue to blackmail me like that It's about my life, my future. You asked me what's going on between me and Narcissa, I will answer you ... Oh, please, cut the exaltation!" Lucius raised his voice seeing his father open his mouth to say something. "Narcissa is not pregnant, I haven't slept with her. I love her. Yes, father, I love her. Because you see, I didn't meet her for the first time yesterday at this party, I met her a week ago in the woods, and since then I was love-sick. You can't even imagine the relief I felt when I found out who she was. You demanded that my future wife be pure-blood, high-born, and wealthy. Virginity and the rest of this nonsense were never discussed.

Abraxas knew already he had lost this fight, but nevertheless seized the last resort.

"I will disinherit you."

Lucius looked at him and smirked.

"All right, what are you going to do next? Are you going to produce a new heir? I understand that you will happily announce to the whole world "I disinherited my only son because ... I don't know, because his future wife wasn't a virgin"? Will you divorce your wife? She's not likely to give birth again" Lucius said sarcastically looking at his father's chalk-white face "Yes? Because somehow I don't think so. Or do you prefer me to commit suicide?" he said casually "That would definitely end everything."

Abraxas slowly calmed down, although he was still in shock, he realized that he had to agree, there was no other way. He looked at Lucius and straightened his necktie.

"Very well then, I'll write a letter to Cygnus."

"When?"

"I don't know. After dinner or tomorrow."

"No, you'll write it now." Lucius waved his wand, and ornate stationery, pen, ink, sealing wax, and the family seal appeared in front of his father. "This instant. End of discussion."

Abraxas looked at him fearfully and immediately started to write, there was something in his son's voice that he didn't dare refuse.

"Thank you."

After twenty minutes, Lucius left his father's office, a sealed cream-colored envelope addressed to Black in his hand. With no time for owls, he called Dobby and handed him a small package.

"Deliver it to Cygnus Black's own hands," he said dryly. "Without delay, as fast as you can."

The elf bowed low and disappeared with a soft pop. Lucius sat heavily on the chair, unbuttoned shirt at his neck, and took a deep breath. He was furious with the whole situation, with his father and his idiotic arguments. "I heard rumors that she is not a virgin, not suitable for you ..." he remembered his father's words and felt that he was getting hot with anger, but after a while, he calmed down. He got his way for the first time in his life. "With any luck, I'll see her tomorrow," he thought and smiled, "Now it'll only get better."

The answer came that same day, Lucius opened the envelope with trembling fingers and read the letter. The Blacks announced their arrival for the next day at four pm.

"YES!" Lucius thought and smiled "Hell yeah!"

Dobby was still standing at the table. Lucius glanced at him, the elf looked like he desperately was trying to blend in with the mahogany wainscoting on the walls.

"Tea at four pm for tomorrow," Lucius said dryly "The festive china set and cutlery. We'll serve the freshly imported Kashmiri Darjeeling... The cake... Oh, I don't have time for that now!"

"Pavlova with strawberries perhaps?" he heard Dobby's quiet voice and was about to scold him when he realized that it was not a bad idea.

"Yes, pavlova sounds good, but I want something else as well... Oh I don't know, come up with something," he growled, "Only without any fancy experiments, it has to be simple and elegant, if you botch it, it will be the last thing you will do in your life."

He left the chamber and went to the dining room, where he found his parents at dinner. Galatea burst into tears at the sight of him and flung herself on his neck.

"Your father told me a moment ago, it's wonderful, son," she said sniffing "Narcissa is such a nice girl, so nice, from a perfect family... You couldn't have chosen better, your father and I are so happy..."

Lucius looked at Abraxas reluctantly, he still remembered the morning row.

'Indeed, mother? he said, sitting down at the table and dished out mashed potatoes and a piece of a roast for himself "I didn't get the impression that _dad_ is overly happy."

Abraxas choked on his food, Lucius felt his mood brighten, and he started to eat. Sipping wine, he watched his mother lovingly adjusted his father's collar, poured water for him, and handed him a platter of asparagus. Lucius had never seen his parents openly show feelings for each other, but there had to be something between them, some kind of affection and respect.

"I won't live like this," he thought suddenly "I won't hide anything."

At dessert, Lucius informed his parents that the Blacks had accepted the invitation, which didn't mean yet that Cygnus agreed to the engagement, however, a written refusal was the common practice as everyone wanted to avoid embarrassing situations at all costs. Lucius was sure that the Blacks would come to discuss the details. He looked at the clock, it was almost six. Lucius thought with regret that he wouldn't be able to do anything more today. He still had to buy gifts for Narcissa and her father.

"I'll be in London tomorrow," he said calmly, taking a piece of apple pie from the platter "Do you need something?"

"If you were so good to put these documents in our vault," Father replied, still not looking at him. "I would be grateful."

"Oh, it's nothing, I'll be in the bank anyway, I have to withdraw money."

Lucius apparated with a soft pop near Gringotts quite early in the morning. Diagon Alley was almost empty, but in the early hours, it was perfectly normal. He entered the bank, submitted to all the necessary checks, and went to the first open window. He showed his wand again, introduced himself, deposited the papers, and withdrawn a substantial sum of money. A moment later he was back on the street, wondering what he should buy. Lucius knew that the gift must express his intentions - he wanted to propose to her after all. The present couldn't be too expensive, or too cheap, it would be the lack of taste. Lucius put his hands in his pockets and decided jewelry would be the best option in this situation. Then, he walked down the street, jingling his purse. While he managed to buy a gift for Cygnus quite quickly, in the third store he found very nice, golden cufflinks which he ordered to pack, he still had a big problem with a gift for Narcissa. Everything he saw seemed coarse and characterless. Lucius visited at least ten shops and hadn't found anything that would catch his attention. Besides, it was already afternoon and Lucius realized that he was running out of time. Resigned, he looked at the front of the antique shop. It was unlikely that they could offer what he was looking for. Nevertheless, he decided to enter, he had nothing to lose.

The room was quite large but cluttered and smelled of maintenance products and floor polish.

"Good afternoon sir, how may I help you?

"I'd like to see the jewelry."

"Oh, we have beautiful objects," said the gaunt shop assistant radiantly, and led him deeper into the store, "If you like something please tell me, I'll show you closer."

Lucius leaned over the thick, glass case and began to analyze its contents inch by inch. He studied the patina clips, heavy necklaces, and large jeweled bracelets until he noticed long, intricately decorated, ruby-studded platinum earrings. The clerk hastily pulled out the article, and Lucius started to closely examine it. They were perfect.

"I'll take this," he said, "No, not this box, the red velvet one," he added.

"Check or cash? If check then you'll have to..."

"Cash," Lucius said dryly, handing him the deducted sum, he thought that the boy would get a large commission from the sale "Goodbye."

He left the store with a much lighter pouch, but in a good mood. He was pleased, the earrings were perfect. He remembered that his mother had asked him to get the unicorn's hair from the pharmacy. While he walked up Diagon Alley, Lucius noticed out of the corner of his eye Arthur Weasley arguing fiercely with someone. Lucius grimaced, they had never liked each other, the Weasleys had a very loose approach to the issue of blood purity, which was disgusting to him. Lucius stopped for a moment and watched as the bald, menacing-looking wizard tugged Arthur and grabbed a large purse from his hand, then disapparated.

"What the fuck?" Lucius thought, "What the hell did he get into?" He watched for a moment as Arthur smoothed his clothes and then disapparated.

"Weird," Lucius said to himself and walked into the pharmacy.

He came back home a moment after three, which meant that he still had time for himself. Skipping three steps each, he ran to his chambers, where he put tastefully wrapped gifts on the bed and started choosing the right clothes. It was more difficult than he expected - for some reason, his entire wardrobe suddenly seemed boring and mediocre. The colors didn't match, the fabrics looked miserable, the black was faded and the white was yellowish. His favorite cologne had lost its appeal, and his hair ribbons somehow twisted stupidly.

"Calm down," he said to himself rebukingly, "You know it's not true."

It didn't help him a bit. Every combination of colors and accessories seemed inappropriate until he finally opted for a nice silver-embroidered black vest, black pants and jacket, and a white shirt. He looked in the mirror, decided he looked tolerable, smoothed his hair at his temples, applied a cologne on his neck and wrists, grabbed both packages from the bed, and ran to the living room where his mother and father were waiting for him. The Blacks were arriving via Floo net at any moment. Freshly cut peonies and an elegant porcelain set were standing on the table, on a heavy, white tablecloth. Lucius sat down in the armchair and waited tensely. When the clock struck four, the empty fireplace filled with emerald flames - Cygnus emerged first, and then Narcissa, dressed in a well-cut, tartan dress, with a black ribbon in her loose hair. Lucius watched her straighten her fringe with a graceful movement of her palm. Their eyes met for a brief moment, she smiled at him; Lucius felt blissful happiness fill him in. He and his parents walked over to the Blacks and exchanged the usual pleasantries. Lucius handed Cygnus gold cufflinks (they are really beautiful, thank you very much!). Then walked over to Narcissa and handed her a small package. He watched tensely as she unwrapped the gift with her long, slim fingers. She picked up one of the earrings he had chosen and examined the intricate decorations with expertise.

"Thank you, it's exceptional," she said looking into his eyes "This is for you."

Narcissa handed him a long package. Lucius opened it curiously and took out a long, mahogany cane with a silver-carved snakehead. The wood had a beautiful, deep shade. He already knew that from today it would be his favorite accessory.

"Thank you," he said cheerfully. "Eighteenth-century?"

"Yes, the second half" she replied and beamed "It protects its owner with an extremely powerful shield spell. You can put a wand in it" she took the cane from him and unscrewed the head, "Here, you can attach it.

Lucius looked at her with sincere admiration. Women always gave him useless items. Perfumes he never used, ugly ties and bow ties, scarves made of wool to which he was allergic, boring books... Narcissa's gift was useful, elegant, and beautifully made, Lucius liked extravagant accessories, this walking stick was perfect. He watched Narcissa as she handed Galatea an elegant bracelet and Abraxas a bottle of good, French cognac. Lucius looked at her softly, he couldn't get over with her beauty, how gentle and graceful her movements were. He caught his father's scolding gaze but he didn't care, didn't even try to hide his feelings. Finally, they sat down, a steaming pot of tea, a fluffy pavlova, and five ramequins with crème brûlée appeared on the table. Galatea waved her wand, tea spilled into cups that gracefully rose into the air, and landed in front of the Malfoys and their guests. Lucius sat across from Narcissa and felt her gaze on him. He watched her unwittingly twist a golden lock around her finger.

"I am very pleased to see you again" Cygnus began "Cissy mentioned that I should expect a letter from you, Abraxas, and I am very glad that our children would like to get married..."

Once again, Lucius was struck by how rigid and detached from reality their norms were. He didn't care about that ridiculous wedding contract, he didn't care how much money Narcissa will bring in the dowry. He knew that a common practice was a trice of annual income, a house in London, and one of the summer estates. Lucius knew Cygnus would contribute generously to his daughter and the Malfoy treasury would benefit significantly from this relationship, and yet he didn't care. He wanted to finally be alone with her, talk to her, learn as much as possible about her. Judging from the way she looked at him, she wanted the same.

"Of course, if our children decide to get engaged," Cygnus continued, "Cissy will receive as a dowry trice of Black's annual income, one of our houses in London, and one of our summer estates." - Mr. Black drank some tea "In gold, you will get..."

Cygnus mentioned some absurdly high amount, at the sound of which Abraxas' eyes lit with fire. Lucius continued to gaze at the face of his future wife. He looked at her full, carmine lips and slightly pink cheeks.  
Suddenly, he realised how much he would like to kiss her and felt a growing desire for her. Merlin, he wanted her so badly.

"After my death, Bella and Cissy will also be allocated my personal belongings and the rest of the Black assets."

"We hope it won't happen any time soon," Galatea said kindly. "Now I'd like to talk about, um, rules," she blushed slightly.

Lucius instantly felt sick. He knew that the chaperone institution ceased to exist, but he already sensed what would happen next.

"We all know how important for engaged couples from aristocratic families premarital chastity is," said Abraxas pompously "This is our highest priority."

Lucius glanced at Narcissa. She gave him a long, lingering look and smiled; something in this smile caught Lucius's breath.

"Of course, you can never be sure, but I'm convinced," continued Abraxas, "That our son will never disgrace your daughter, Cygnus.

"You can be sure, I will not touch my fiancée before the wedding" Lucius cleared his throat and the corners of his mouth trembled. Narcissa modestly lowered her eyes. "I am fully aware of the rules prevailing in our social circle."

"Excellent," Cygnus beamed, "I hold you to your word, young man."

Lucius felt that he wouldn't stand this farce, one more minute and he would laugh in their faces. However, he held on bravely, pretending his entire attention was absorbed by the portrait of his great-grandfather.

"Due to my health issues I cannot stay longer in the countryside," Cygnus said after a while "I have to return to London today. Cissy will stay here, at my sister's house. You will be able to spend as much time together as you need to better know each other."

"Wonderful father, thank you for your trust," Narcissa said. "Could I then come to the Malfoy Manor tomorrow to spend the afternoon with Lucius?"

"Yes, of course, sweetheart."

Lucius didn't know if their parents were, or if they just pretended they were that stupid. In any case, he didn't care. He was an official candidate for Narcissa's hand. She will come to his house tomorrow and spend the whole day with him. Blackmailing Abraxas with suicide was an excellent move.

They spent the rest of the meeting having a pleasant conversation about trifles until finally, his future father-in-law decided that they had to come back. The Malfoys embraced Narcissa, said goodbye to Cygnus, wishing him a good trip. Lucius shook his hand and stood in front of Cissy.

"See you tomorrow," he said to her and kissed her silk-smooth, alabaster cheek.

She was shorter than him, she had to tiptoe to kiss him back. For a brief moment, he felt the warmth of her body through her clothing. Her scent - spicy, sweet scent of freshly plucked jasmine flowers and verbena caught his breath. Lucius felt his knees buckling.

"Yes, tomorrow," she said and smiled at him before disappearing in the green flames.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucius finally proposed, too bad everyone have different expectations.

Lucius didn't boast about his efforts to win Narcissa's hand. He wanted some privacy as he didn't want letters from his friends who would ask him for intimate details, how they met, or how much Cissy is worthy of gold. Lucius well knew that in most cases, aristocratic marriages were based on the prestige and wealth of the family. Love marriages were very rare, and he didn't want to tell anyone what he felt for her, not now.

He spent the following weeks on daily meetings with Narcissa. They rode their horses, played cards with Lucius's parents, went on long walks. When they found a suitable place, Narcissa spread the blanket and they just talked for countless hours. Lucius was casually leaning against the tree, as Narcissa led her head on his thighs. While stroking her golden hair he told her about the time he had spent on a diplomatic mission in Paris. How he practiced his dueling skills, how he wandered around Montmartre with his friends, and how the French Ministry of Magic differed from the British one. Lucius fondly recalled the red wines from Bordeaux, and the whites from the Loire Valley; the elegance of French wizards, and their love of late-night banquets. Narcissa spoke about her youth in the south of France and her studies in the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. She vividly described the beauty of the lavender fields and ocher soil; recalled the Mediterranean nature and how different it was from the gentle, grass-covered English hills and meadows. She spoke of medieval castles hiding numerous secrets, about the manuscripts she read in ancient libraries on the French Riviera. She told him about her scientific work on new methods of healing, how she developed and tested spells and potions in the most famous French hospital. They perfectly understood each other. Lucius had never felt better with anyone than with her. They agreed on practically everything, shared similar opinions on many things. They had the same approach to life. Narcissa also didn't like city life; she loved the peace in the countryside.

"I didn't want to go back to England," she said one day, holding his hand, "But my father insisted, and I couldn't refuse him. I regret I had to give up my research."

"There is nothing that can stop you from doing this," he replied, looking at her carefully.

"I don't think it's possible in this situation. Our parents wouldn't approve of it," there was bitterness in her voice, "I'm about to have other duties..."

Lucius knew perfectly well what she was talking about. Married women should mostly take care of family life and social events.

“What they approve or don't approve of doesn't matter,” he said, brushing the golden lock from her bright face. "You want it; I will do everything to make you happy. I'll bring to England all the possessions you left in France. At this moment, I am ready to take over practically all my father's duties. In a few weeks, I will be officially the head of the Malfoy family. It is all settled," he spoke calmly, feeling growing nervousness, now he will tell her everything. "I love you, I have never loved anyone the way I love you. Since I saw you for the first time, there in the forest ...

Narcissa kissed him, Lucius kissed her back, feeling that he was losing himself, overwhelmed with indescribable pleasure. He did not know when he began to undo the buttons of her blouse with impatient hands, and Narcissa's small palms freed him from his black jacket and white shirt. The spoken words were lost and torn. Among sighs and touches, one tried to show to the other what they both already knew, from the day they met for the first time. They got to know each other, searched for each other, carefully and very slowly, wanting to extend the lasting moment forever. They searched for each other long and passionately amid the gentle rustle of trees and the chirping of birds. The air was heavy and dense, like before a summer storm, which always brings relief.

The sun was setting, and they were lying next to each other. Lucius, half asleep, gently ran his fingers over Narcissa's silky-smooth back. Blissful happiness filled him as he thought about her soft skin, golden hair, her delicate, milky white body… He smiled as he pressed his face against her hair. Cissy leaned on her elbow and looked at him closely.

"I love you too," she said, stroking his cheek.

Lucius felt like the metal hoop squeezing his ribs eased.

"I have loved you since we first met. I wanted to look out for you, but my father forbade me to do horse riding." there was bitterness in her voice, "Since the time my mother died, he is afraid of his own shadow and takes every cough as a symptom of tuberculosis... I was withered with longing. Listening to Bella's stories about her meetings with Rodolphus made me sick."

Lucius listened to her and couldn't believe it was happening.

"Father came to me one day and said we were invited to your mother's birthday party." she laid her head on his chest, "Oddly, he started to tell me about you, that you were looking for a wife. He didn't say anything about a gift for your mother. I realized then that this was one of those stupid presentation parties where everyone participated in a disgusting competition. I wanted to refuse, but then father showed me your portrait and I knew, I agreed in a split second. When I saw you, there in your garden, I wanted to cry. You looked so unhappy as if your whole world collapsed…

"Marry me," Lucius said suddenly, not understanding why he had delayed the proposal so much.

"I'll marry you, darling. I don't want anyone else."

Abraxas was sitting at the mahogany desk in his office. It was well in the afternoon when Lucius entered and, as usual, sat down on the petitioner's chair. He had another tough conversation ahead of him, but he didn't care anymore. He proposed, and Narcissa agreed to marry him. Now his father had nothing to say.

"Good morning, father," Lucius said politely, watching Abraxas dig through the papers, "I hope you're well."

"Oh yes, erm, thank you," he replied, looking at his son intently, "You wanted to tell me something, is that right?"

"I proposed to Narcissa, and she accepted." Abraxas's face was unwavering. "I assume you'll want to throw a formal party to announce it."

"Yes, we will," Abraxas said calmly, but there was a sound of dissatisfaction in his voice. "How did it happen? And why so suddenly? You've only known each other for a month…"

"Ah father, I proposed because I felt the circumstances were appropriate," said Lucius, looking at his fingernails. "They couldn't have been more appropriate."

"Enough," Abraxas stood up abruptly, "I saw you come home yesterday in these rumpled clothes with traces of groundcover. You couldn't wait until the wedding, you couldn't even wait for it to be official! If anyone finds out about what you've done, oh Cygnus won't forgive you…"

"He'll find out from whom?" Lucius smirked insolently, looking into his father's eyes. "From you? _Forgive me, Cygnus, my son slept with your daughter before the wedding night_ " he snorted, "That's idiotic. I don't know why you think premarital sex is worse than, let's say, having a twenty years younger lover. I don't think I need to remind you of your embarrassing affair with that poor daughter of our silver mine's overseer. I remember perfectly well when you brought her here and bend over backward to hide it. Your remarques are pathetic, and involving Narcissa's father in this is below any level."

Red spots appeared on Abraxas' face as he sat heavily on his chair and stared at his son angrily.

"It's completely different; we had a serious crisis with your mother…"

"You had a midlife crisis, to be specific." Lucius snorted, looking with amusement as his father started pacing back and forth across the room, "I don't know why you're trying to fight with me, father. It doesn't make any sense. I will marry her," Lucius said with emphasis, "Regardless of your moods, so give it a rest and enjoy my happiness. I don't think I expect too much from you. The sooner you come to terms with it, the better. Moreover, you'll be able to move to London quicker."

"Do you think you're ready to take over my duties?!"

"I'm convinced of it." Lucius said calmly, "I've already taken over the vast majority of your duties; it's just a matter of formalities, and don't even try to deny it. You're no longer able to manage our assets; you can't control all of it. I realize that all this is very difficult for you, but I don't want to worsen our relations anymore."

Abraxas sat down heavily in the armchair and looked at his son with round eyes. He loved him, he wanted his happiness, but he imagined it quite differently. He didn't think that Lucius was so determined and that he would go to extreme ends to achieve his goal. Abraxas suddenly felt very old and tired; he looked at his son and began to wonder why he had never devoted enough time to him. Why he had put all the burden of his upbringing on Galatea. He couldn't recall if Lucius had ever heard direct praise from him. All his life Abraxas was occupied with business and providing for his family, he thought it was his only duty. Suddenly he felt ashamed of it. He pushed his only child away, and now it was too late to fix it. Looking at Lucius, Abraxas realized how much his son resembled him. How handsome he was with his pointed face and long, fair hair pulled back in a ponytail. Abraxas felt that he no longer wanted to wage this war, that he had had enough.

"We'll throw a party," he said slowly, "Next week. You're right..., You're right about everything. I can't manage the assets any longer; I want to go to London as soon as possible, mainly for your mother's sake. You'll take over all my duties after the wedding. I…" he stuttered, I'm sorry, son."

"Excellent." Lucius stood up, he was surprised by the sudden softness in Abraxas's voice; his father never spoke to him in such a tone. "I'll take care of it so that you won't have to worry about anything. I'm going to ask Narcissa for help, do you agree? Perfect. Apology accepted," he said and left his father's office.

The news that Lucius Malfoy is marrying Narcissa Black spread very quickly. He spent the following days answering letters from friends, ministry officials, and foreign diplomats whom he met while working in France. Lucius didn't know how on Earth Narcissa did that, but she had obtained official permission from Cygnus to move into his house. When Abraxas agreed for Narcissa to move in, Lucius was so surprised that he didn't protest even when his father said that the only condition would be separate bedrooms. They were given full freedom in choosing their marital chambers. After a brief discussion, they decided that after the wedding they would live in the south-west wing, from where they had a beautiful view of the lake. Until their wedding, Narcissa lived in guest rooms that, quite by chance, laid very close to Lucius's bachelor chambers. During the next week, Cissy's belongings were transported to the Manor, both from London and from her aunt's house. She wished to unpack them herself, and Lucius promised to help her. They spent the whole day looking at what was brought. Narcissa had many beautiful possessions: a brass telescope, exquisite cauldrons, a marble chess set, elegant and tasteful jewelry, hundreds of books in leather bindings that immediately took their place in the Malfoy library. She showed him her clothes, accessories, various papers. She burst out laughing now and then, bantering with him. A few days later Lucius made her a surprise; he brought her favorite, chestnut mare to the Manor. At the sight of her horse, Narcissa threw herself on his neck and kissed him passionately. He lifted her, pressing close against him as if he would never let her go. Lucius was delighted with her vitality. Cissy was constantly on the move. All the time she had to do something: read something, look for something - she hated apathy and boredom. They ate meals together, drank tea, planned the future - they were inseparable. When he was going to bed in the evening, Abraxas watched his son instinctively embrace Narcissa while reading the book. He watched his future daughter-in-law lay her head on his son's chest without taking her eyes off the newspaper. He watched Lucius lovingly cover her with a blanket on colder days while she stroked his cheek and adjusted his collar. Lucius had never been happier.

Abraxas knew perfectly well that nothing could keep Lucius and Narcissa away from each other. Separate bedrooms were a whopping great lie; he turned a blind eye on it, however. He didn't want to spoil the improving relations with his only son.

Narcissa turned out to be an excellent organizer. As Lucius had to go away on business in the middle of the week, she planned the party practically alone. Despite the help offered, she didn't use it and tied up loose ends all by herself. Narcissa chose the colors, sent invitations, gave detailed instructions on bouquets' composition, chose the menu, and the wines. Abraxas finally started to take to her. When Lucius was gone, they played chess in the evenings, and Mr. Malfoy concluded that in fact, Narcissa was intelligent and very charming. Abraxas didn't understand why he was so prejudiced towards her. He didn't know her after all. Cissy changed a lot in the Manor. She made sure that there were always fresh flowers in the vases, the tablecloths shone snow-white, and the patina suddenly disappeared from the ancestral silverware. She brightened the rooms by changing the dark, velvet curtains to beige muslin transmitting the sun rays. The interiors gained lightness, and only now it was possible to fully appreciate its beauty and elegance. When Lucius was away, Narcissa did the horse riding and reviewed her old notes. She wondered what she should bring from France, wrote letters in which she told her friends about her future husband and her love for him. She realized that few women in her milieu were as lucky as she was. Two of her closest friends were in unhappy marriages; while their parents chose their husbands for wealth and prestige, they had nothing to say. As a result, they ended up with people they didn't know, or even liked; love was out of the question.

Narcissa's father always spoiled her and allowed her a lot. When she told him that Lucius Malfoy had intentions towards her, she knew that he would agree. In the end, it was hard to find a candidate for a husband from a better, older, and wealthier family than the Malfoys. Narcissa knew about the rumors surrounding her; she was well aware that it was ruining her reputation. She knew that Lucius's parents, famous for their exceptional prudishness and strict rules, would object to her. Besides, she knew that Abraxas didn't like her; she sensed the hostile tension between father and son. Of course, Lucius' father was always kind and impeccable to her, but she knew deep down he was very unhappy with his son's choice. She did not ask her future husband what he had done to convince his father about their relationship. Lucius would have thought that Abraxas had treated her badly, and she did not want to exacerbate their conflict. She knew that a few weeks after the wedding, Lucius's parents would move out. Narcissa was more concerned with maintaining positive relations. She felt well in the house of her future husband; she could not dream of a more beautiful estate. Malfoy Manor had a rich history, was modernized many times. Its interiors were comfortable and elegant. Narcissa was sure that they would spend many happy years here. She looked at pictures of Lucius' ancestors, beautiful hand-woven tapestries, and admired family heirlooms. Accustomed to luxury and elegant interiors, she appreciated the good taste and beauty of antiques from early childhood. Narcissa admired the perfectly kept gardens. She spent a long time in arboreta and orangery; observing plants with healing properties imported from all over the world.

Even though they hadn't seen each other only for three days, Narcissa missed Lucius a lot. She missed his voice and touch, she missed the warmth of his body. She wanted him to come back and hug her, to tell her about everything he did while he was away. Finally, the day before his return, she went to Lucius's bachelor chambers just to fall asleep in his bed, feeling his scent on the pillow.

The next day she wandered sleepily around the house. The air was heavy, saturated with the scent of freshly cut grass and jasmine, as thick as if it could be cut with a knife. She wrote letters and ordered her correspondence for a while, but she couldn't focus on it. It was too hot to deal with anything that needed more attention. She went out on the terrace and sat down in the garden chair intending to read the book. After a while, her head fell on her shoulder, and Narcissa fell asleep, tired of the overwhelming heat and stuffiness. She woke up a few hours later; the sun was setting; unfortunately, the heat did not ease. The arrival of twilight did not bring the desired relief; Narcissa had the impression that it was even more stuffy than during the day; she stretched and entered the house. As she sat down on the couch, she thought Lucius should be back any minute, he said his business wouldn't last longer than three days, and she didn't want to be without him anymore. She looked at her reflection in the mirror - the bottle green dress was a perfect fit. It pointed out her figure, beautifully harmonized with her fair skin and golden hair. Narcissa smiled, she was not vain, but she was glad to know that she would please Lucius with her appearance. She waited for him impatiently for a few more hours; wished his parents good night when they went to sleep. Then she laid down on the couch, staring insistently at the empty fireplace.

She was nearly falling asleep when emerald flames glowed in the hearth, and Lucius finally returned home. He knelt by the couch and kissed her, wrapping his arm around her waist, closely pressing her against him. Narcissa realized how much she missed him only when he was within reach, close to her. When they finally broke the contact of their lips, she nestled her face in the skirts of his traveling coat. His scent was different than she remembered. Under the spicy, sensual notes of musk and cedar tree, she felt a scent of wind and saltiness of the sea. Narcissa felt her knees buckling. When she took a closer look at him, she noticed a small, red rash covering his neck. Fatigue on his face and the dark circles under his eyes saddened her; she stroked his cheek covered with stubble, looking at him with concern.

"What happened to your neck?" she asked, looking closely at the red spots "It looks like an allergy. Now let's take you upstairs to deal with this."

"It was a hard three days, Primrose," he said, stroking her golden hair. "The overseer of the sawmill for some reason only had woolen pillowcases, and I am allergic to wool. If I didn't go to see what was going on there, I would not know for a long time how tragic the situation was. This sawmill is so neglected, so unkept... I will have to fire the overseer, hire a new one and probably go there again in some time to supervise all the renovation works..."

"I'll go with you," she said carelessly, kissing his cheek. "Now, come on, don't scratch it, you're just making things worse."

"But it itches..."

"I know it itches, don't scratch it for a while. We'll go upstairs, and I'll take care of it soon, you'll be fine."

Not wanting to wake his parents, they quietly climbed the stairs. Somewhere in the distance, a peal of thunder rolled across the sky, and it started to rain. Raindrops drummed on the panes bringing the desired relief. Narcissa opened the window in Lucius' chambers, savoring the cool air for a moment; then she went to her rooms for freshly wrung ointment according to her latest idea, gauze, and bandages, which she needed to make a dressing. When she returned, Lucius was shaving in the bathroom. He hated stubble; he always had to be clean shaved; Narcissa loved this about him. She sat on the edge of the bathtub and watched the skillful movements of the razor. His noble profile looked completely different in the flickering candlelight than during the day, and she felt a growing desire for him. She looked at his broad shoulders and narrow hips, strong legs, and well-sculpted arms; although she already knew his body well, it always gave her a thrill of excitement; she loved to look at him. When he finished, she told him to lie down and take off his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt, and examined his neck closely.

"Next time you'll get your bedding when you're going somewhere,'' she said firmly, waved her wand briefly, and a small basin filled with rosemary-scented water hung in front of her. Narcissa dipped gauze in it, wrung out thoroughly, and began to clean Lucius's neck.

"You don't even know how glad I am to finally be with you." he said, taking great pleasure from her gentle touch, "This overseer... I should fire him right now, but tomorrow I will have to consult with my father. I hope that at least there won't be any problems with this matter. What were you doing when I was away?"

"Oh nothing," she said, putting down the gauze and unscrewing the ointment jar. "I organized our party myself, played chess with your father, rode horses, wrote letters to friends... I missed you," she whispered, carefully smearing his neck.

"I missed you too," he replied softly and kissed her, "I was thinking about you lying in this dingy room, I know it was only three days but for me they were unbearable. If not for the conditions prevailing there, I would take you with me."

"I don't care about the conditions," she said, bandaging his neck. "I want to be with you, whether the conditions are good or not. Well, ready," she added, "How are you feeling?"

But she heard no answer because Lucius was sleeping. With a soft sigh, she cuddled up to his side and quietly fell asleep, listening to the rhythmic sound of falling rain.

On the day of the party, he woke up early in the morning, he did not get up right away. He slept for three days on a hard mattress, in a wet and cold dump, the more he appreciated how comfortable his bed was and how pleasant it was to be back in his chambers. He stretched and looked around; Narcissa was nowhere to be found; she had to get up before him. He groped the dressing, untied the bandage, stood up, and looked in the mirror. His neck looked almost normal; there were still some faint traces of rash on it, but the itching subsided, and Lucius felt a surge of gratitude towards Narcissa. He wandered around the room for a moment, took a bath, changed, then grabbed his report and went downstairs to the dining room. Lucius was starving; he ate little in Scotland, struggling with the overseer who had almost ruined a thriving sawmill.

Narcissa was at the table talking to Galatea.

"Good morning, darling," he said, and kissed Narcissa's silky-smooth cheek, then sat down next to her, "Mother."

"Good morning, Lucius. How was your visit to Scotland?" Cissy said you got a terrible allergy, but I can see that there's almost no trace of it anymore.

"There isn't; Narcissa dressed me yesterday." he replied, taking a chocolate bun from a platter, "Scotland was one big failure. Wet and cold, the sawmill is almost completely ruined; no one had been there for too long. It'll cost us lots of money and time to bring it to a usable condition. I'll have to go there a few more times to sort it all out; I don't want to talk about it now."

"I will look at your neck later; it needs one more dressing," Narcissa said, tilting the collar of his shirt. "I managed to perfect this recipe; I think I will write to Saint Mungo about it. Maybe they will want to test it."

"I think for sure," Lucius smiled at her, "Did you wonder what you want to bring from France?"

"Yes, I made a list."

"Is that a good idea?" asked Galatea, looking at them closely, "I think that Narcissa should take care of other matters than work... 

"Narcissa will take care of whatever she wants," Lucius said coolly, stabbing the knife into the bread. "It's none of your business."

"Of course, of course," Galatea stammered, "but I remind you that we have, er, expectations...

"I'll take care of your _expectations_ in an appropriate time," he drawled icily. "Narcissa wishes to continue her professional work; she will do it then. Your expectations can wait."

Galatea looked as if she was about to cry. Lucius hated it, he hated her trying to force him to do something like this. He was tired and irritated, he knew there would be more problems waiting for him at home; he did not expect, however, this kind of remarques from his mother. It was enough for him that he would have to deal with his father later. They are going to discuss not only marriage and Narcissa's virginity but also the sawmill and the _expectations_ that meant the first child in a year from the wedding. Lucius felt sick at the mere thought of such quick fatherhood. He looked at Narcissa sitting next to him, who was looking at his mother with a polite smile. Lucius knew how sorry she must be; he put his arm around her and kissed her temple to cheer her up.

"I need to go talk to my father right now," he said. "You'll give me this list and dress me later, all right?

"All right," she smiled at him and squeezed his hand under the table. "I'll be upstairs."

She got up and went to her chambers; Lucius gave his mother a hateful look.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked reproachfully, spreading butter on his toast. "I understand that when I was away, you behaved towards her in the same way as you did just now? You could spare me your remarks; I've enough on my mind already."

"We treated Narcissa with due respect," Galatea replied drily. "But you are already here, and I can criticize some of your ideas, professional work! She is supposed to be your wife and mother of your children!

"Enough," Lucius stood up, "Narcissa as my wife will do whatever she wants, you will wait for the children. I'm twenty-two years old; she is two years younger than me. We are too young for that.

"At her age, I already was pregnant with you,'" Galatea pouted. "Son, come back here, where are you going?"

"I lost my appetite, mother."

Ignoring her protests, he tossed the half-eaten toast on his plate, took his papers, and headed to his father's office. Now he was about to have a hard discussion concerning the sawmill. He hoped that his father would not raise the subject of children. Lucius felt sick at the mere thought of having this conversation. After a while, he added an evening engagement party to the list of his problems. During this event, he would have to accept congratulations; answer stupid questions, and keep all comments to himself; because saying them out loud would be in bad taste. Lucius smiled at the recollection of the scandal he had caused a few years ago when he said at a carnival ball that premarital chastity was an idiotic concept. His father didn't speak to him for a week, and Lucius' friends still remembered the situation as a great joke to this day.

He briefly knocked to Abraxas' office, then opened the door and went inside; he had always liked this room. Large, spacious, with elegant, walnut furniture, bookshelves reaching up to the ceiling, a beautiful Persian carpet, and a view of the forest from the windows. At the center of the room stood his father's richly carved mahogany desk, customarily piled high with papers. Abraxas was reading a document, looked up at Lucius as he sat down in the petitioner's chair, and waited for his father to finish reading.

"How was your inspection in Scotland"? Abraxas asked, folding the letter and putting it in a drawer. "How bad is it?"

"It's worse than bad, father," he replied, handing him his notes. "Here, this is the documentation and my report. The sawmill is a ruin. All buildings are devastated; we are missing several dozens of thousands in the bills... Of course, we will not feel it at all, but if we want to maintain this sawmill, we will have to invest a lot and dismiss the overseer. I was even considering suing him, as he broke at least half of the trading laws... In the end, we can always sell this sawmill and get rid of the problem; but it's your decision after all.

Abraxas took a thick envelope from his son and began to look through the papers, from time to time cursing under his breath. Lucius understood him well. He described in detail this sawmill - the broken piece of misery he was visiting. Rain flooded most of the buildings: spells cast by the overseer barely held, and Lucius was unable to repair the damage caused by him. Young Mr. Malfoy managed to magically secure the most valuable machines and a few dry warehouses, nonetheless, he was not an expert in restorative magic. He knew that his spells would weaken over time, and the situation would return to its previous state.

"It's worse than bad, you're right," Abraxas said after a while, putting his hand to his forehead. "But it's my fault; I haven't been interested in it for too long. I had other things on my mind. I can see you've done a great job; your notes are perfect... Honestly, I thought I'd let you decide what to do with it. I assume you'll want to get married soon; after the honeymoon, you could take on my responsibilities in full.

Lucius looked at his father in surprise; he thought he had misheard.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't look at me like that; I am tired of fighting with you. I know that you will achieve your goal anyway; I will not stand in your way. With this trip, you proved that you know how to manage our assets, and although I do not approve of your choice, I understand that she makes you happy... I'm sure that sooner or later you will meet our expectations, a year after the wedding…

"Ah father, even if you start making sense, you have to spoil it immediately," Lucius pouted. "We will not have children for the next few years; we do not even think about it. Besides, we have other plans, all in time. And don't even try to convince me," he raised his voice a little, seeing that his father wanted to say something. "I won't take it into consideration; you should know it well by now. As for the sawmill, I think we shouldn't sell it; it always brought high income, we just have to invest and fire this idiot."

Abraxas fought with himself for a while; he did not want to let go of the grandchildren's topic so easily, but he realized that the discussion was pointless. He sighed heavily and glanced again at his son's report.

"I agree with you," he said after a moment, wrinkling his nose. "It would be unwise to sell this sawmill. Start looking for an overseer. You will have to go there once we find an appropriate candidate. Hire the maintenance crew; you will have to supervise it all.

"I know, father," Lucius replied, the mere thought of another visit to the run-down sawmill made him sick. "I want to arrange it all before the wedding. The rest of our assets seem to be in good condition, but it is necessary to check everything carefully. I don't remember when you visited our goods and lands lately. We wanted to get married at the end of July if you don't mind. Then I could start the inspections in September," Lucius added, looking at his father with curiosity."

"I don't," Abraxas said, hesitating for a moment. "Go now; you must prepare.

Lucius obediently left the office and headed to Narcissa's rooms. Walking through the hall, he thought that it wasn't that bad. His father probably finally understood that the constant fight was pointless, and at least tried to change his behavior. Although Lucius was irritated by the insinuations about the child a year after the wedding, he appreciated his father's efforts and the willingness to avert the conflict. In the living room, he grabbed two apples from a platter and ran up the stairs; he had a long way from his father's office to Narcissa's chambers.

"I know what you are doing behind closed doors,'' Lucius's great-grandfather said from the portrait. "This is a disgrace..."

"Oh, come on," Lucius snapped, knocking on Narcissa's chambers. "We're no longer living in the nineteenth century."

The ancestor was getting ready to answer, but at that moment Cissy let her fiancé into her chamber. Just before closing the door, Lucius made an insulting gesture towards the painting, thus causing an outcry.

"Great-grandfather said that what we do behind closed doors is a disgrace," Lucius said, pulling her close to him, "Do you feel disgraced?"

"Very," she said and kissed him. "No one has ever disgraced me like that in my whole life," she added and giggled. "How was a meeting with your father?"

"Much better than I thought," Lucius sat on the bed and unbuttoned his shirt. "He was almost not embarrassing, except for the child a year after the wedding, of course," Narcissa frowned slightly. "I told him it was out of the question; I think he had already accepted that he hadn't influence anything. What are you doing? It's not nice!"

"Don't move," Narcissa held his head and applied a compress to his neck. "We don't want you to have traces of this allergy; you'll feel better in a few minutes."

After a few seconds, the pinching stopped, and Lucius felt a pleasant coolness under the dressing. Cissy waved her wand; the bandages were gone; she closed the jar and put it in the glass cupboard that smelled of sage and thyme. Once again Narcissa astonished him. No one had ever managed to cure him of his allergy as fast as her. He obviously read her notes; he knew she had impressive achievements, which was rare at such a young age, but only when he felt the effects of her therapy on his skin was he fully appreciated her talent and passion.

"Tell me, please, just be honest," Lucius took her hand, "How did they treat you when I was gone?"

"Quite normal," she replied, looking into his eyes. "They were very polite and nice, none of them made me feel bad for these three days."

"For sure?"

"Yes," Narcissa stroked his cheek. "I know they don't like me, after all, apart from this scandal caused by Andromeda, there were rumors concerning me..."

"Oh please, it's absurd, we all have a past..."

"It's absurd for us, darling," she said calmly. "But not for them, our parents live in a different world, and it is difficult for them to absorb something new. Honestly, I was sure they would not let you marry me. When my father got a letter from Abraxas, I was drunk with joy..."

"Because they did not want to let me," Lucius replied and embraced her, "I had to fight a heavy battle with my father on this subject. When I found out that apart from blood purity and wealth, he was also interested in the virginity of my future wife, I lost my temper. He asked if you were pregnant with me and, of course, if I had _disgraced_ you." Lucius underlined the last word. "Later my father threatened to disinherit me."

"He didn’t do it!"

"Yes, he did," Lucius snorted, "I asked him then who would be his heir, and if he was going to divorce mother. He got upset then."

"I can imagine," Narcissa said cheerfully, cuddling to him. "And what next?"

Lucius looked into her large emerald eyes and recalled how bad he felt without her; how he was losing all will to live. After all the time they had spent together, the thought of being without her was even more terrifying than before. He wondered for a moment whether to tell her that he had threatened his father with suicide; however, he decided that there was no such need.

"It was enough," he replied and kissed her temple. "Later we quarreled a few more times; we never had the best relations... But I must admit that for some time it has been better; he even apologized to me, so maybe he gets something.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through this," Narcissa leaned on her elbow and looked at him carefully. "If it weren't for your determination it would all have turned out differently, most likely I would have to marry someone I don't even like, I would live like most of my friends... It's good that at least Bella is lucky, she doesn't say she loves him, but they feel connected in some way...

"You don't have to wonder what would happen if. We are getting married in a month," Lucius said, sitting up on the bed to make it easier for Narcissa to remove the dressing. "Rodolphus is fine; we know each other from school; I think Bella will be happy with him."

"Sometimes I wish I had studied with you at Hogwarts," she replied, taking off the poultice and carefully examining his neck.

"Thank you," he got up, smoothing the jacket, and went to the window. "What time does it start? Please, not at six o'clock; if I'm going to waste the whole night, I would like to start doing it as late as possible."

"Your mother wanted it to be six o'clock," Narcissa replied, taking the green apple from him. "But I didn't agree. I said that nine o'clock was a much better idea. She complained for a while, but finally, I managed to convince her.

"You are wonderful."

"I know," she said, smiling at him.

Lucius, wearing black smoking, was waiting for Narcissa at the stairs. He was leaning with nonchalance on his walking stick, thinking what was going to happen. They were about to appear officially in public for the first time; all their guests had arrived and waited for young Mr. Malfoy to present to the world his chosen one. Narcissa was a very exotic phenomenon for most members of the elite. She appeared suddenly and had lived abroad for ten years. There were many rumors concerning her; while her middle sister disgraced the family name. Lucius knew that most of the families with unmarried daughters were disappointed that he; the heir to one of the greatest fortunes in the wizarding world became interested in Narcissa. And although no one could say it out loud, the Blacks were one of the oldest and wealthiest families, part of the elite believed that Lucius was committing a kind of misalliance.

"Good evening, darling," he heard her voice behind him, "We're already late."

He turned to her and sighed in delight - Narcissa wore her favorite bull-blood-colored gown, the same one she had worn the day they were introduced to each other. She looked beautiful. The maroon dress highlighted her figure in every detail. Highly pinned-up fair exposed long, swanlike neck, and from her ears hung platinum earrings which Lucius gave her during their first official meeting. She flowed gracefully down the stairs; Lucius offered her arm, Narcissa lightly cuddled to his sight. Her scent; her deep, seductive scent of sandalwood and fresh orchid flowers caught his breath. Lucius lost all motivation to go to the party; he regretfully thought about what they could do instead of losing all night on meaningless conversations.

"You look stunning," he whispered in her ear. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, there is no need to extend it," she replied and smiled. "Let's go."

Moments later, they entered the brightly lit banquet hall; several hundred pairs of eyes immediately turned towards them. Lucius hated it, but now, as he walked towards his parents amidst a storm of applause, he no longer cared. He looked at Narcissa walking by his side, delicate, platinum-maroon Cissy. Only she mattered; everything else was meaningless to him. He stared indifferently at the sulky faces of his would-be fiancées; and the disgruntled faces of their parents. 

"Choke on jealousy," Lucius thought as he approached his father and shook his hand. Cygnus hugged him, kissed Narcissa on both cheeks, as did Lucius's parents.

"We have invited you to our house to share with you the joyful news," Abraxas said in a loud voice. "Together with Cygnus, we have the pleasure to officially inform you that Lucius asked Narcissa for a hand in marriage, and she accepted. We are delighted with the vision of a union between two great families through the marriage of our children, and we hope that a happy future awaits them. We set the wedding date for July 27th…"

Lucius looked around carefully; he saw the minister of magic standing in the front row, surrounded by a group of his close associates. Next to him, he saw his colleagues from the Department for International Wizarding Cooperation; a little further away were his school friends. Rabastan stood near Rodolphus who was casually embracing Bella. Avery and Yaxley were next to them. Amycus and his sister; Rookwood, even Severus Snape came, who had just graduated from school. Lucius had always felt responsible for him, he did not know why, but when he first met him, being a Prefect, this little boy aroused protective feelings in him. Despite the age difference between them, they became friends and maintained a constant correspondence. Snape was often in Lucius's house. They spent a lot of time wandering around, practicing duels; when Lucius's parents were away and left them alone; they invited their friends. No one threw such legendary parties as they did. Lucius treated him a bit like a little brother that he never had, and which he always regretted.

There were Narcissa's friends from France and her relatives whom he knew from various parties and meetings. Lucius's family came, aunts, and uncles; even the Malfoys from Paris. There were members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight; among them many would-be fiancées of young Mr. Malfoy. They watched with a mixture of jealousy and disappointment on their faces as Lucius wrapped his arm around Narcissa's waist and pressed her tightly to his side. They envied Narcissa her golden hair and alabaster complexion; they felt colorless and bland. They envied Cissy the way Lucius looked at her, unable to accept that they will never be in her place. Their disgruntled parents watched with disapproval as Lucius whispered something in Narcissa's ear during Cygnus' speech, running his fingers over her exposed back. They observed reluctantly how she responded to him with a lingering gaze. He was standing too close to her, he looked too self-confident, and she had way too deep cleavage; it was all inappropriate. They couldn't understand why Lucius was marrying someone who had lived abroad half her life; had a tarnished reputation, and some sort of Muggle affiliation. All this made their daughters' rejection even more painful than expected.

Lucius looked at another corner of the hall. He saw Igor Karkaroff standing at the banquet table, whom he met quite by accident when he was on the Black Sea a few years ago. Dolohov stood nearby. He, due to his origin, his family fled Russia after the revolution, for some time worked in the Ministry on diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. Lucius first met him at a meeting at his resort.

When Cygnus finished his speech, Lucius offered Narcissa his arm, and amid the applause, they went to deal with the congratulations and wishes that had fallen to them in hundreds of thousands of words, as they mingled with the crowd of guests. He finally met Cissy's friends and relatives. He introduced her to his family, coworkers, and friends. _Oh, how delightful it is to meet your future wife; we wish you all the best on such a special day! We hope that you will visit us in Paris after your wedding, of course, auntie. Narcissa, congratulations on your marriage, dear!_

Between one glass of wine and the other, he squeezed hundreds of hands, kissed his aunts on the cheeks, exchanged pleasantries, smiled to his guests, and all the time held Narcissa close to him. He watched as she listened with keen interest to his colleagues, how with his elegant French he won the hearts of his relatives from Paris.

"You don't even know what a pleasure it is to talk to someone _en français_ in England," said delighted uncle André. "I hope you will learn something from her, Lucius; I can see that since you came home, your French is a bit rusty...

"Yes, er, I'll exercise every day," Narcissa gave him an amused look. "I'll leave you for a while, all right? he asked and kissed her cheek.

"Of course, darling, I'll find you later."

Lucius took another glass of wine from the table and came up to his friends. He was fed up with his aunts who endlessly recalled his childhood. _He was terrified of horses, and now look, what a wonderful young man... When he was five, he ate during Christmas only challah with jam; he was so sweet when he was angry..._

Uncles attacked him from all sides with questions about his future career or wished him to have a son soon. Lucius then smiled sourly and quickly distracted from further conversation.

"Well, well, well, Lucius, that's something," Avery said cheerfully to him, "Why did you hide her from us for so long? She is absolutely delightful."

"Because I didn't want you all to bloat" he replied, loosening the bow-tie under his neck "Anyway, you probably would start asking me about the details..."

"And you always liked to show off," said Rodolphus. "And you were very _specific_ about the details.

"But it's different now," Lucius said indignantly. "This is my fiancée."

"Come on, don't be ridiculous" Avery stared at him in disbelief. "Tell us, did you sleep with her?"

"Leave him alone," Snape said suddenly, putting the empty goblet on the table. "If he wants to, he'll tell you himself."

"You spoil the fun," Rabastan looked at Narcissa in the distance. "She is stunning. You always had good taste, but she is over-the-top. When I think about what she learned in France, oh, I envy you..."

"Enough," Lucius drawled coldly, rage in his eyes. 'You are talking about my future wife; I don't want to hear any comments like this ever again."

Everyone stared at him in surprise; they had never seen their friend react similarly to such remarks. They didn't know where the sudden change came from, but they didn't want to ask. There was something in his expression that they didn't dare.

"You wrote to me that you've been to Scotland recently," Snape broke the silence, looking at him closely. "How did it go?"

"Ah, come on," Lucius replied in a perfectly normal tone, "Three days in a wet, rotting damp, a hard mattress, and a woolen pillow. The broken piece of misery. We have to renovate almost all buildings, the overseer stole money... I patched what I could, but the repair magic never interested me, so it will be necessary to go back there soon," He looked at his nails. "I've already fired the overseer; I'm looking for a new one..."

"You?"

"Me. Father expressed a wish that I should start taking over his duties, Lucius stretched." After my wedding, he retires and goes with my mother to London. Gentlemen, you are looking at the new head of the Malfoy family."

His colleagues began to congratulate him enthusiastically, and after a while, they disbanded. Bella took Rodolphus to meet some distant cousin, and Rabastan and Avery approached a group of Narcissa's friends, exchanging meaningful glances among themselves. Lucius was left alone with Snape; they did not speak to each other for a while, drinking their wine slowly.

"Why didn't you want to tell them you love her?" Snape asked suddenly, looking at him attentively. "You could write to me about this; we always told each other about everything."

'How on Earth did you..."

"Oh please, it's so obvious, Lucius," he replied, "I can see how you look at her, how you touch her... You love her."

Lucius looked at him intently; he would never have imagined that Snape would notice something like this. He underestimated his perceptiveness.

"Yes, it's true; I love her... And she loves me," He said after a moment, looking at Narcissa laughing at the other end of the banquet hall. "She is the best that has happened to me."

"It's great happiness," said Snape, Lucius thought he heard a note of regret in his voice.

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

"No, why?" Snape shrugged his shoulders. "I know very well how aristocrats get married; most of you are not happy."

"My parents didn't want to agree," Lucius said and grimaced.

"Let me guess, premarital chastity, living abroad, and Andromeda's marriage with a mudblood?"

"Bravo," Lucius smiled at him. "We can't forget, of course, a child in a year after the wedding and Narcissa's desire for professional development..."

"I've read her research papers," Snape said, "It would be a shame if she wastes her talent."

"I'll write to you this week; we'll arrange a meeting somehow" - Lucius caught Cissy's longing gaze. "Maybe you would come over the weekend?"

"I'd love to," Snape replied, shaking his hand. "Go to her."

Lucius hurried towards Narcissa, gracefully avoiding his family members who wanted to talk to him. He exchanged perfunctory remarks while nibbling snacks from the silver platters. 

_We miss you terribly in our department, wouldn't you like to go back to work? Maybe one day, thank you... No, Alice, I will not come to your parents' afternoon tea; I'm getting married in a month, yes, I'm afraid it's official, that's why we threw this party... Ah, Igor, I'm glad you made it, I know how many responsibilities you have... Thank you for the chocolates Anne, have you spiced them up with Amortentia?_

It was well past two; Lucius noticed that most of the guests were already quite drunk. He saw the chief of the Department of Mysteries ineptly tried to seduce one of Narcissa's friends; a sudden wave of disgust flooded him. The girl, however, gracefully avoided being pawed; then hit him in the face. Lucius smiled in satisfaction; it was time for women to take matters into their own hands.

"Darling," he said to Narcissa, standing by her side, "Why are you standing here alone?"

"I'm done for today," she replied, taking a sip of wine, "At least twenty people wished me a quick birth of a son. Your aunts expressed the hope that we will invite at least two hundred people for the wedding, and that life will quickly reflect my views on professional work...

"Not bad," he said, kissing her on the cheek "Every uncle I talked to wished me that my first child was male... My friends wanted to know if I bedded you. Alice Bulstrode tried to invite me over to her house, and Anne McNair gave me chocolates seasoned with amortentia...

"And what did you tell them?"

"Nothing," he replied, pulling her close to him, then caught Avery's curious gaze out of the corner of his eye. "Girls from best English families cannot accept the fact that they missed such an opportunity."

"Let's get out of here," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I don't want to be here any longer."

Lucius gladly followed Narcissa. He recalled his father's remarks, and this time they said goodbye to everyone. _Cissy has a terrible migraine, mother, I need to be with her..._ Choking with laughter at the sight of the embittered expression on Esther Mulciber's face, they ran up the stairs. After a while, they stood under Lucius's bachelor chambers. They looked at each other for a moment and felt a growing tension.

"Fuck it," Lucius lifted her and opened the door. Narcissa giggled while unbuttoning his shirt. "From tonight there is no such thing as separate bedrooms."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Organization of the wedding may be complicated.

It soon turned out that organizing a wedding in a month was nearly impossible. Narcissa did it herself because Lucius was poring over papers in his father's office from dusk to dawn, trying to bring them to order. It was chaos; the documents were neither arranged alphabetically, nor by date, nor even according to the assets they concerned. The only way out of this situation was to read one by one and put them in thematic piles to finally carefully put them together, seal them, and put them in desk drawers. Lucius wondered how his father had been able to get anything out of it. After a short reflection, he concluded that he would rather remain blissfully ignorant than to learn something about this useless system. During breaks between filing documents, he went through hundreds of applications and met candidates for the new overseer. Unfortunately, none of them hadn't enough experience to maintain the large property, requiring a strong hand. To his horror, he discovered how many concessions and permits he had to extend, change the content of most contracts and contracts, some of them requiring regular renewal, some expiring in the next week and they had to be renewed. Lucius had no time for practically anything, most of the day he spent walking from one office to another, meeting various contractors, sending and writing letters, unpleasant surprises awaiting him at every step in the form of tons of new cases and projects abandoned by his father. Narcissa dealt with suppliers who, for some reason, confused her orders, arranged the menu, selected wines, spent time trying on the wedding dress, endured the complaints of Lucius's mother, who had her own, exceptionally well-established opinion about what her son's wedding should look

"I always imagined that at Lucius's wedding there would be beautiful, embroidered ecru tablecloths from great-grandmother Alexis...,"

Galatea chattered over Cissy's ear from dusk to dawn. "And this beautiful crystal tableware from my husband's great-aunt... Did I tell you about my great-great-grandmother's brother who wanted to marry a muggle girl? Luckily it didn't come to that, he finally came to his senses..."

Narcissa smiled crookedly then because she wanted classic white tablecloths, silver tableware for her mother and did not want to invite all these people. She and Lucius always wanted a small wedding, for their closest family and friends, not for aunt Eliza whom they had not seen in ten years. Narcissa was bearing remarks from her future mother-in-law; she didn't understand why Lucius's mother suddenly changed her attitude towards her. Bella didn't have time to come and visit her, her single friends were mostly concerned with their career development, and Narcissa suddenly felt lonely and abandoned in this big house. She did not see Lucius all day: he would lie down late at night, and wake up at the crack of dawn: while she was still asleep. He would see petitioners, candidates for overseers and assistants, and in London, he managed the estate affairs.

"Darling, do you remember what we agreed on about the wedding?" Narcissa asked Lucius when they exceptionally managed to meet at breakfast.

"Excuse me?" Lucius looked at her over the document written in small letters. "What did you said?"

"I asked if you remember what we agreed on about the wedding," Narcissa repeated calmly, perfectly in control of her voice.

"Yes, of course, it's supposed to be small and private." He replied, glancing at the pile of papers lying next to him," And you also wanted your mother's tablecloths and silver tableware."

"What nonsense, we will invite the whole family! Galatea looked at him reproachfully, "You don't get married every day, son; it's an exceptional event. Crystal tableware from great-grandmother Alexis will be the most appropriate..."

"Mother, not now," he growled, drinking his already cold coffee. "Please, talk about it with Narcissa; I am sure that you will come up with an agreement. It really can't be difficult. I want small and private, as Narcissa said. Damn, it's already after eight, I'm late!" He threw, kissing Cissy on the run, only to disappear in the emerald-green flames.

Unfortunately, morning conversations with Galatea had no effect; although Narcissa made no concessions, without Lucius' explicit support she was in a losing position. She thought that when he hired an assistant, he would start working a little less, unfortunately, it did not happen, and as a result, for three weeks they practically did not talk to each other. Narcissa wanted to tell him how she felt, but as soon as she started the conversation, Lucius promised to listen to her later, which never happened. Cissy understood how much he had on his head now. She realized that he had to prepare somehow to take over all his father's duties, but in the meantime, she was growing frustrated. Narcissa felt abandoned and much less important than the paperwork and Lucius's duties. They were to get married in a week; everything was hanging in a vacuum because neither she nor Galatea would budge. Lucius never tried on his wedding clothes, and Narcissa would have endured it all, but her patience had its limits.

When she entered the banquet hall after breakfast and found another modified guest list that had nothing to do with what she had planned but contained all of Abraxas' cousins, she felt her stomach tumble. A moment later, she noticed Galatea smiling radiantly at her from the other end of the room. Next to her, Narcissa noticed an armful of beige tablecloths and heavy crystal tableware. Holding back nausea, she dragged herself towards her future mother-in-law; the closer she got to her, the more details she noticed. For some reason, four new versions of the menu appeared, a dozen envelopes of different colors, and for some unknown reason, fabric samples. Narcissa looked at it all with growing discontent; her head began to hurt.

"Ah, here you are." Galatea was clearly proud of herself. "Look what I have prepared, great, isn't it?"

"Ah, here you are." Galatea was proud of herself. "Look what I have prepared, marvelous, isn't it?"

With a forced smile, Narcissa took four new versions of the menu from her and started browsing them briefly. She didn't see any differences between them. The beef was prepared in the same way in each version; only the sauce differed, the additions were practically the same. Indeed, glazed carrots were tasty, just like the braised leeks, but it was the peak of summer, and Narcissa didn't understand why there was not even one proposal of the seasonal dish. In one of the menus, Galatea suggested Christmas pudding as a dessert, and Cissy laughed openly.

"Is something wrong?" Lucius's mother looked at her coldly.

"Well, to be honest, everything," Narcissa replied, "I do not understand what is wrong with the menu that I put together at the beginning of July...,"

"Oh, I can't eat a roasted pheasant,' said Galatea, "And the crayfish soup... I don't know if it's not too coarse..."

"Definitely not; it is the favorite soup of the French aristocracy," Narcissa growled, cut to the quick, "Why is Christmas pudding in the first version of the menu; and baked cheesecake in the second? Why are we serving traditional winter dishes in the middle of summer? Why is there not a single seasonal proposal?”

Galatea looked at her reluctantly. She did not like Narcissa's tone of voice and her demanding nature; she didn't understand why Cissy could not make concessions, why she was so anxious to push through her ideas. A small wedding, what nonsense; Galatea did not believe that Lucius willingly agreed to the private ceremony; she was sure that Narcissa had somehow forced him to do so. Angrily, Galatea snatched the menus from her hand, glared at Narcissa with disapproval. She didn't like what she was wearing; her clothes were too fitting; highlighted her figure too much. Galatea felt provoked by her appearance, and it wasn't the first time.

"You could wear more modest clothes," she said, reaching for colorful envelopes, "You are getting married in a week. I have prepared different color versions of invitations here..."

"What does more modest mean?” Narcissa felt that she was on the verge of endurance, "Should I wear sackcloth? I will not accept any of these colors; they are defiant and in bad taste."

"Your clothing is in bad taste," Galatea was not going to let go, "I saw the design of your wedding dress. This cut on the back, no sleeves... As for invitations; I think we should choose red."

"There are no sleeves because it is the middle of summer; and I like the cut in the back. You should have noticed it a long time ago," Narcissa pulled through her teeth, feeling that she was about to lose her temper. “We will not take red invitations; they will stay ivory, just like they were in the beginning. Same with the menu, tablecloths, flowers, and tableware."

"Excuse me?"

"This is _our wedding_ ," Narcissa drawled, emphasizing the last words, "If you were listening to Lucius..."

"You're not _Mrs. Malfoy_ yet," Galatea looked at her coldly, "I was planning my son's wedding before you were even born, and I'll do it my way, you won't stop me." Narcissa felt like someone had slapped her in the face. "And now you will start writing invitations..."

"No."

Before Galatea could react, Narcissa smoothly drew her wand from the inside pocket of her jacket. The colorful envelopes, the new menus, the crystals of Abraxas' great-aunt, and the beige tablecloths of great-grandmother Alexis were gone in seconds. Narcissa waved her wand again furiously - the tables slid up against the walls, the tablecloths faded into snow-white, silver tableware from Cissy's mother appeared out of nowhere - at last, everything was as it was supposed to be from the very beginning. Narcissa cast a Permanent Sticking Charm so that Lucius's mother couldn't ruin her idea once again.

"Why did you do that?" Galatea looked at her angrily.

For a brief moment, Narcissa watched with vindictive satisfaction as Lucius's mother tried unsuccessfully to restore everything to its former condition.

"Take that spell off, right now."

"No."

Narcissa turned and, ignoring the screams of Galatea, went upstairs. She sealed the door to her rooms with a spell, then apparated in Lucius's bedroom. She knew that in the evenings, her future husband teleported straight to himself. He was avoiding the dining and living room so that he would not have to deal with his parents.

"He'll have to talk to me," she thought angrily, as she sat down in the armchair by the window. "Whether he wants it or not."

Narcissa had waited for him all day. After a while, the rage had turned to irritation; and at the end of the day, it became pure despair. Narcissa felt terrible. No one ever treated her as badly as Galatea. Narcissa did not understand where her behavior came from; especially since Galatea did not interfere with the organization of the engagement party. Lucius's mother offered her help, but did not impose herself and accepted all Narcissa's decisions. Cissy was well aware that she was not yet formally Galatea's daughter-in-law, but it seemed to her that Lucius's mother was far less prejudiced against her than Abraxas was. She did not understand why Galatea was behaving this way towards her. Narcissa supposed, of course, that it was related to her rather modern approach to life and motherhood combined with the desire for professional fulfillment; however, she did not think that Galatea could go that far. Cissy fully realized that her future husband's parents did not like her and did not want her in their family. She had never felt so humiliated, abandoned, so unloved as right now; something broke in her, and Narcissa burst into tears burying her face in her hands.

It was almost nine o'clock when Lucius apparated to his chambers, took off his tie, and unbuttoned his shirt at his neck. He spent all day dealing with ministry clerks. He signed papers, used his connections, and his charm to meet all the deadlines. His new assistant, Thomas, seemed quite ready to do this purely administrative work, but Lucius didn't trust him enough to leave him alone with everything. The thought of another office marathon waiting for him tomorrow made him sick. He poured himself a brandy and looked around the room, then with amazement noticed Narcissa lying on the window seat. She wasn't looking at him, completely absorbed by the view outside the window. Lucius was suddenly struck by how long he hadn't talked to her.

"Good evening, darling," he said, coming up to her. "How long have you been here?"

"All day," she looked at him coldly. "I've been here all day, I'm fed up."

Lucius felt his stomach turn, he knew resentment was something he should expect, but on the other hand, he felt a mounting frustration. He was working, not having a good time with his friends.

"What are you fed up with, if I may ask?"

"With everything," she snapped. "With suppliers who have not been able to deliver the right package for two weeks; decorators who are not able to fulfill a single request of mine. With tailors who I cannot answer the question of when you will finally be able to appear on the fitting. Yes, don't look at me like that, we're getting married next week, and you don't even have time to try on your wedding clothes!" She said faster and faster, "I understand, of course, that all your duties are of utmost importance..."

"Oh please, don't start! Do you think I'm doing all this for fun?!" he drawled coldly, "Father left in the papers such a brothel that I don't even know when the half of it will be in order! When I think that all this finally begins to go straight, I open a new pile of papers and everything starts again..."

"Then what do you need this assistant for?!" Narcissa raised her voice, and her eyes flashed. "Is he even doing something? Because I have the impression that you hired him just for the sake of appearances! He started to work at the end of June, it's almost the end of July, and you're still helping him out! If he is as good as you said, and he is not able to arrange a few concessions and contract extensions himself, maybe you should look for someone better!"

Lucius was about to reply with some biting remark when he suddenly remembered how during his childhood he barely was eating meals with his father. Suddenly he realized that Abraxas was never really close to them. Father was that mythical figure - residing in the office smelling of cigars and musk - always in the ministry, on a delegation, or somewhere in the distant estates. In an instant, Lucius was struck by the fact that on the fingers of one palm he could count the Christmas Eves they spent as a whole family. He painfully realized how little time his father had devoted to him over the years. Lucius looked at Narcissa standing in front of him and realized what had just happened. He realized how much he had hurt her with his sick ambition and workaholism. He walked over to her and hugged her; she was tense and stiff, he felt how hostile she was towards him.

"I'm so sorry; I promise it won't happen again. I was an idiot; a terrible idiot..., I'm sorry I left you all alone," he whispered, pressing her tightly against him. "Tomorrow, I will give Thomas detailed instructions. You will never feel like this again..."

Narcissa was still standing stiffly upright; she didn't touch him, but Lucius never gave up easily. He stroked her golden hair, pressed her tightly against him, all the time apologizing for his indifference. Lucius promised to stop working so much; he swore that he would take care of the wedding with her, that he would never leave her alone for that long. When she finally decided to look at him, her eyes were full of tears, and Narcissa sobbed spasmodically. Lucius felt terrible; it was all his fault - she cried because of him. He didn't even bother to ask how she was feeling, how she was doing with everything; he left her alone with his mother; he did not give her any support, only taking care of his affairs. Trying to calm her down, he cursed at himself under his breath. He recalled all the times she tried to tell him something, and he had dismissed her so that he could take care of the business quicker.

"I was stupid, Primrose," he said softly, placing her on his lap, "Please don't cry; everything will be fine..."

He handed her a handkerchief. Narcissa dried her reddened eyes and looked at him; Lucius's heart tightened with regret - there was an overwhelming sadness on her face.

"I'm sorry, I... I lost my temper."

"Don't apologize; it's not your fault."

"Please, don't interrupt me," she said firmly. "I realize that taking over all the responsibilities is a difficult and time-consuming process," she leaned, putting her hands on his shoulders. "But I really can't cope anymore; I have the impression that everyone is throwing obstacles at my feet. Your mother treats me as the worst enemy. I don't know how many times she has told me about her great-grandmother's brother who rejected his Muggle lover..., I understand that what Andromeda did is unacceptable, but I have nothing to do with it for fuck's sake!"

Lucius felt sick; he thought the problems with his parents ended long ago.

"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" He asked, knowing the answer; he felt like the last moron.

"Because you never had time," she said angrily, "I tried every day, but you were always pushing me off; what was I supposed to do? I ignored her, but now I can't even organize our wedding the way I wanted to, because suddenly it turns out that she has a great vision!" her voice trembled. "Every day is a constant struggle, once again she tried to change the menu, today she outdid herself. She proposed Christmas pudding for dessert, in July! I can't even send invitations because the guest list constantly changes; today your mother added all of your father's cousins, even the Sussex-Malfoys.

"I told her that the wedding would be private," he said, trying to stay calm.

"Yes, you did, and so what?" she laughed sarcastically, "You did not show that you care about it in any way! I'm running in circles for three weeks because I'm arguing with your mother about who we will invite! And not only about this! Listening about your father's great-aunt's crystal tableware and great-grandmother Alexis' ecru tablecloths make me sick!" Narcissa took the brandy from his hand and drank it to the bottom, "This morning I found out that the crayfish soup is coarse, your mother cannot eat roasted pheasant, my clothes are defiant and in bad taste. When I saw that once again she changed everything, I was a little carried away... After repairing the damage she had caused, I cast a Permanent Sticking Charm..." Narcissa cleared her throat, "I understand that that this is not my home, especially since I am not officially your wife..."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your mother openly said that she will organize your wedding because it has been her dream for twenty years; I have nothing to think about." Narcissa did not look at him, "When I reminded her that the private ceremony was also your wish, she said that I am not Mrs. Malfoy yet, and I have no right to decide anything."

Lucius's eyes grew dark with anger; he poured himself a generous amount of brandy, drank it immediately, and felt the fury rising in him.

"Sit down here," he sat her down on the bed, trying to speak calmly. "Don't move anywhere, take this...," he pressed the bottle into her hand. "Wait here for me, I'll be back soon."

"Where are you...,"

"Stay here," she flawlessly read the order in his voice. "And don't think about it anymore."

Lucius left the room, slammed the door, and ran downstairs. He went straight to the living room; Galatea was sitting on the couch reading a book, a sweater was knitting in the air next to her.

"Ah, here you are, son," she radiantly said, "Excellent, I wanted to tell you how inappropriately Narcissa behaves..."

"Can you be honest with me for once?!" He shouted, leaning against the fireplace, "What were you thinking?! That I would not know how you treat her?!"

Galatea looked at him with round eyes; Lucius never raised his voice on her.

"What are you talking about; she spoils everything! She cast a Permanent Sticking Charm in the banquet hall; she doesn't let me invite the family..."

"BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO INVITE THE FAMILY!" Lucius completely lost control, "I DON’T REMEMBER WHEN I'VE LAST SEEN THE SUSSEX-MALFOYS FOR FUCK'S SAKE! WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND IN THE SENTENCE "I WANT A PRIVATE CEREMONY AS NARCISSA SAID?!"

"I don't know what she told you, but you probably agree that the tableware from your father's great-aunt..."

"NO, I DON'T AGREE WITH THIS, NOR WITH ANY BEIGE TABLECLOTHS! END OF THIS NONSENSE, FROM NOW ON YOU WILL DO AS MY FUTURE WIFE SAYS! THIS IS OUR WEDDING AND OUR BUSINESS! Why do you think up some stories about your great-grandmother's brother who LEFT HIS MUDBLOOD LOVER?! HE DIDN'T EVEN EXIST! DO YOU WANT TO PUNISH HER?! FOR WHAT?! SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANDROMEDA'S DECISIONS!" Lucius stared at his mother, pure fury in his eyes, "WHEN YOU STOPPED TO EAT A ROASTED PHEASANT?! PROBABLY YESTERDAY, BECAUSE ON WEDNESDAY LUNCH YOU LOVED IT! AND WHAT HER CLOTHING HAVE TO DO WITH IT?! DEFIANT CLOTHES, SHE DOESN'T EVEN WEAR DEEP CLEAVAGES!

"But it is so provocative; married women are not supposed to..."

"CAN YOU HEAR YOURSELF?! PROVOCATIVE, WHAT SHOULD SHE WEAR!? A CLOISTER VESTMENT?"! Lucius took a deep breath; he slowly began to calm down. "What were you thinking? You're not Mrs. Malfoy yet; how did you come up with this?! Did you think you could drag it all behind my back?! In such a moment, you knew very well that for the last weeks I was mainly dealing with estate matters, you knew that I would be distracted from the organization of this wedding," he raised his voice again, Galatea stared at him in shock, "If I hear something like that from her again, if you look at her askance or in a way that I don't like, you will go to London, and you will never see me again, not only me but also her, not to mention your grandchildren."

"But Lucius, I didn't do anything..."

"Enough," Lucius looked at her in disgust, "Keep those pathetic excuses to yourself; it makes me sick. I would never have thought that you would behave towards her worse than father; at least he would approach me with his complaints, not her!

Narcissa sat on the bed terrified, unable to move. She heard Lucius's raised voice and his mother's high-pitched screams. Cissy didn't want to tell him everything, she didn't want to let this happen at all, she wanted to try to solve it on her own, but when they argued, Narcissa felt like something melts in her; she had no strength to hide what happened anymore.

After a while, everything went quiet. Narcissa heard the slam of the front door, and sometime later beat of hooves fading away in the distance. The night was bright; the full moon was high in the sky. She wasn't afraid for Lucius, she knew that he could defend himself, but for some reason, she was shaky and anxious, poured herself some brandy and put the bottle on the table. Drinking slowly, she looked out the window at the stables made of red brick, she was unable to calm down. Narcissa changed into Lucius's shirt, laid down, and tried to sleep, but nothing came of it. Hours passed, and Lucius did not return. Narcissa stared at the shadows moving across the ceiling, listened to the sounds of the night, hoping to hear the familiar hoofbeats of Lucius's favorite horse, but nothing like that happened. She felt guilty about this whole situation and was becoming more and more worried about him.

It was well past two when he opened the door carefully and, without switching on the light, walked silently through the bedroom to his private office. Narcissa saw a blur of flickering light on the floor; she heard the scratching of a pen and the rustle of paper. She got out of bed and stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe; Lucius did not notice her; he kept writing, folding letters, sealing and addressing the envelopes that were starting to pile up in the corner of his desk. Narcissa walked over to him and put both her hands on his shoulders.

"Where have you been? she asked quietly, kissing his cheek, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault," he replied, sealing the last envelope. "I couldn't come back here right away; I had to... I had to calm down." He put all the letters in the drawer, "Why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep - you were away for a long time; I was worried about you."

Lucius stood up and kissed her; Narcissa threw her arms around his neck; she felt small and fragile. Suddenly, Cissy realized how absurd the situation was; she didn't even know what they had argued about; she didn't want it ever to happen again.

"Go to bed; it's late," he said softly to her. "I'll come to you soon, all right?"

She obediently returned to the bedroom and laid down, knowing that he had come home safely, all the tension was gone, suddenly she felt how tired she was, how much this whole day had cost her.

Narcissa was already asleep when Lucius finally laid down beside her, cuddling against her back.

"Sleep, Primrose," he thought, closing his eyes. "From now on, everything will be completely different."

The next day Narcissa came down to the dining room quite late - she was afraid of confronting Galatea. Cissy wanted to avoid having breakfast together at all costs. She delayed as much as she could; getting ready took her much longer than usual; ms. Black also spent a lot more time choosing clothes; she tucked her white shirt with a stand-up collar into black, high-waisted trousers, let her hair down, and tied a maroon ribbon around the neck. She knew that Galatea did not like her fitted clothes, found them provocative and inappropriate for a woman about to marry, but Narcissa was not going to change her style.

She lightly ran down the stairs, took a deep breath, and entered the dining room confidently. To her amazement, Lucius was sitting at the table reading a newspaper, a stack of papers tied with a string piled up beside him. Abraxas was still in London; during the last week he and his lawyers had been making sure Lucius was financially secured, and all notarial deeds were in order. Galatea sat across from her son; Narcissa caught her disgusted gaze; she knew Lucius's mother wanted to criticize her. At the same moment, however, Lucius gave Galatea a warning look over the newspaper.

"Good morning Narcissa," she said, without looking at her, "I hope you slept well?"

"Oh yes, wonderful; thank you," Cissy replied coolly, pouring herself tea. "Good morning, darling." She kissed Lucius on the cheek and sat down next to him. "You were supposed to be in London today; did something happen?"

"No, why? Thomas obtained power of attorney; from now on he will be handling the administration," Lucius replied carelessly. "Of course, I will supervise everything, but I can do it from home.

"Are you sure it is a good idea..."

"Don't interfere," he growled icily, and Galatea fell silent immediately. Narcissa shuddered, not realizing how unpleasant Lucius could be when he wanted to. "Croissant, darling?" He handed her a plate, the change in his voice was huge - Narcissa suddenly became convinced that everything would work out.

"Thank you," she smiled, taking the croissant. "My list is complete; I'll give it to you after dinner."

"Excellent, the sooner the better; Borgin will happily take care of it." Lucius put his arm around her shoulder, looking defiantly at his mother. "What's your daily routine like? In the afternoon I meet my tailor, and I have to discuss with Thomas what he managed to do, but I want to see this banquet hall as well."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about it, son..."

"I told you not to interfere," Narcissa was sure that the windows were about to freeze; Lucius was furious, "This is my wedding."

Galatea looked like she was about to cry; Narcissa felt a huge wave of gratitude towards Lucius. She knew how much it cost him to entrust some of his duties to his assistant; she felt that she was starting to regain ground under her feet, she had his support, she needed nothing more.

"We always go there after breakfast," she said and smeared her toast with jam. "We always spend the most time in the banquet hall," she smiled at Lucius's mother, who had turned white in an instant.

"Perfect, whenever you're ready."

The banquet hall at the Court was exquisite, and although Lucius did not like her, for obvious reasons, he appreciated her beauty and elegance. The tall windows made it bright most of the day, highlighting the deep color of the mahogany parquet. Richly carved candelabra, well-preserved gothic vaulting - yes, it was one of the most beautiful places in the house.

Lucius expressed a wish that everything should be left as it is: the tablecloths should be white and Narcissa's mother tableware. He took the guest list from Galatea, grimaced, and crossed out all the names she had added.

"That's my last word," he said icily. "End of discussion."

Narcissa took off her Permanent Sticking Charm; she knew that Lucius's mother would not dare to interfere in her plans anymore. Suddenly it turned out that in a few hours Narcissa and Galatea could choose the color of invitations, write them, seal them, address them, and prepare them for sending. Galatea stopped criticizing the cold starters, cheeses, soups, main courses, desserts, and wines of Narcissa's choice. They managed to hand over the orders to the staff, along with detailed instructions.

Galatea agreed to anything: out of a sudden it turned out that she could eat a roasted pheasant, and the French crayfish soup is not so coarse. Lucius sat at one of the tables; signing papers; watching with vengeful satisfaction as his mother struggled to hold back from her criticism. He could not forgive himself that Narcissa had to endure her impertinent behavior for so long. He watched softly as she addressed the invitations, how she tucked her golden hair back, the white shirt in combination with black pants emphasized her figure beautifully. Lucius cursed under his breath, he did not understand why he found the estate matters more important than Cissy. He was angry.

It turned out that most of the preparations are complete, all that remained was to send out invitations and finish the fitting. When Galatea went to her chambers, and they were finally left alone, Lucius walked over to Narcissa and hugged her, nestling his face in her golden hair. He loved her intense, intoxicating scent of freshly picked jasmine flowers. Lucius held her for a long time; he wanted her to know how bad he felt for what she had to go through last weeks.

"I have to go to my office," he said, "I'm sorry, I don't want you to..."

Narcissa interrupted him with a kiss; Lucius lifted her, pressing her tightly against him. He did not realize how much he missed her; she was so close to him, he felt the warmth of her body through his clothes. Lucius kissed her passionately, forgetting himself more and more as if he wanted to tell her how much he regretted what happened. Suddenly something struck him: he knew what he should do now, which would reward her for everything she had been through.

"Pack up for two days," Lucius whispered in her ear and brushed her smooth neck with his lips, "Pack for two days and meet me at the stable at nine pm."

"Fine," she said, laughing. "But where are we going?"

"You'll see," he replied and smiled, "I have to go now."

During their second appointment, Lucius spent three hours with his tailor as it was only the first fitting. He was pleased to note that the craftsman knew his profession well, the designs he prepared were simple and elegant, and the materials were of the best quality. Lucius did not complain when the tailor pinned fabrics on him; it turned out that he practiced in France during the same period when Lucius was there on a diplomatic mission. Time passed quickly on a pleasant exchange of anecdotes from Parisian social life. The tailor's stories were interesting, thanks to which he earned a big tip. Lucius made an appointment with him for another fitting three days later, bid him farewell, and went to his father's office (he still felt weird about calling it his office) where he would meet Thomas at five pm, to discuss the estate matters.

Lucius commissioned him a lot for today, concessions, contract extensions, transfer orders, changes in the contracts, and he was to review the applications sent by candidates for administrators. Lucius did not expect that Thomas would be able to complete at least half of it. The more he was surprised when it turned out that Thomas managed not only to fulfill all his orders; but also selected a few very promising candidates from among the whole heap of useless applications.

Sitting by his father's desk, he was looking through the papers brought by the assistant who, in the applicant's chair, nervously glanced at his principal, waiting tensely for his work. Lucius double-checked everything, had nothing to complain of. Yes, Thomas Fawley was an excellent choice. He graduated with very good notes; he knew the law perfectly; his organizational skills; a talent for numbers; his low, gentle voice, and charisma made it very difficult to refuse him. Most importantly, he was respected.

"Yes," Lucius thought, "It would be very unwise to let him go."

Young Mr. Malfoy read the papers, put them in a drawer, and looked at Thomas again. He never would say that his peer in a leather jacket, with rowdy brown eyes and swashbuckling smile, would prove to be such a talented specialist. Lucius checked him through: Fawley had the reputation of an adventurer and a womanizer, but he did not care what Thomas did in his spare time.

"I'd like to offer you a job."

"Really?" Thomas looked at him with amazement, "No one before wanted to hire me because of my, er, lifestyle..."

"I don't care what you do in your spare time," Lucius looked into his eyes, "As long as you do your job, it is not my business."

Thomas knew that Lucius was eccentric; that he wasn't conforming to convention. Fawley knew the story of his principal's relationship with Narcissa Black which was considered unfortunate, but he hadn't expected that Lucius would like to hire him.

"If you'll accept the offer," continued young Mr. Malfoy, looking at Fawley carefully, "You will get accommodation in the Manor and your own office, a monthly salary of two thousand galleons, and thirty days of vacation per year."

"It's a very generous offer." Thomas bowed his head slightly, "What do you expect from me?"

"I cannot manage this estate by myself," Lucius said, "It's doable, but I'm not suicidal. I'm getting married in a week; I don't want my wife never to see me."

"So it's true," thought Thomas. "He loves her."

Before he had built a reputation as a reveler, his name opened him the door to many wealthy houses, where he saw how in practice the marriages arranged by parents ended. People who hated each other; men who spent more time with lovers than wives; women who went abroad to hide their affairs. Thomas knew it all too well; he had seen enough of this in his childhood. The same fate was supposed to await him, but when his mother discovered that his father had squandered their fortune, all bachelorettes suddenly stopped answering his letters. At twenty, he found himself in the attic with five hundred Galleons in his pocket, a leather jacket, a worn bag, and an oak wand - he had to earn a living all by himself. During a short but brilliant career, he came across people who loved each other in marriage maybe twice, but never from any high-born aristocrat he had heard that wife was more important than business.

"Do you want me to be your assistant?"

"No, I want you to be an overseer," Lucius replied. I realize that you as well won't manage the estate all alone, that's why we'll hire administrators. You'll answer directly before me, I want detailed reports, but I need at least two days off a week, and I can't take care of it all day long.

Thomas already knew he was going to take the job - he would be a fool if he wouldn't.

"I have to think it through," he said. "When do you expect my answer?"

"Of course, it's understandable," Lucius replied, handing him a heavy, sealed envelope. "This is a contract; read it carefully. I'm leaving for two days."

"Do you have any tasks for me?"

"Yes, you will send these letters," Lucius handed him a bundle of envelopes tied with string, "And you will start looking for administrators. For the rest of the time, I'd like you to keep sorting out my father's papers, now that the chaos is under control. Write down everything that needs to be done. In any case, I'll be here...," Lucius wrote the address on a piece of paper. "Nobody knows where I am going, and I want it to stay like this. Tell my mother that I am in London.

"Of course."

"That's all for today, if you have nothing else to do, you can go home," Lucius stood up and shook Thomas' hand, "I'll see you in two days." He bid him farewell and left the office.

When Narcissa arrived at the stables punctually at ten o'clock, Lucius was already waiting for her, with two horses saddled.

"Will you tell me where we're going?" She asked, stroking her saddlebags to the saddle, "Your mother is panicking; I barely managed to leave the house."

"She will hear from Thomas that I am in London on an urgent matter," Lucius replied carelessly, putting on the riding gloves and pulled on the girth. "That should please her."

Narcissa laughed and gracefully mounted her chestnut mare.

"Very clever," she said cheerfully, "Which does not change the fact that I still do not know where we are going."

"You'll see, it's not far."

As he had suspected, the horseback riding gave them both great pleasure; they had not been outside for a long time. Overwhelmed by the burden of duties, they did not realize how much they lacked contact with nature. Riding along the forest in the moonlight, they talked about meaningless things, joked, and teased each other, carefully avoiding the topic of yesterday's argument. Lucius knew that eventually, they would have to explain everything to each other; but he didn't want to do it now. At that moment, it was enough for that Narcissa laughed again, told him about what she had been doing all day, and she didn't even mention his mother in a single word. As they had ridden approximately six miles from the Manor, Lucius turned into the woods. Although he sensed Narcissa hesitated for a split second, she followed him nonetheless without asking questions. They rode for some time, not speaking to each other and avoiding the branches, to finally ride out to a large clearing, where they saw a pretty building made of stone.

"What is this place?" Narcissa looked at him with amazement, "It is delightful!"

"It's my father's hunting lodge," Lucus smiled at her. "We'll stay here two days, no one will disturb us."

"But how...?" She said incredulously, "You have so much work..."

"My work can wait," he replied, dismounting from his horse. "The world won't burn for two days."

Lucius carried their luggage inside and asked Cissy to wait for him. He led the horses to the stables and ordered the gamekeeper to unsaddle them.

"Take this, Harper," he handed him a stuffed purse. "I'll be here for two full days, I'd like you to go somewhere."

"But your parents, sir..."

"My parents don't know anything," he assured him. "Please, it's very important to me."

"Oh all right, sir," Harper hesitated for a moment, but he had known Lucius since he was a baby and had always had a soft spot for him. "I'll be back on Thursday at ten am."

"Thank you."

Narcissa sat cross-legged by the fireplace drinking wine; orange light from the flames played in her hair, giving it an amazing color. Lucius closed the door and sat down next to her.

"It's beautiful here, but I still don't understand how you managed to get away, for three weeks you didn't have time for anything..."

"I didn't have the time for anything because I thought that I had to work so much," Lucius said, "Only yesterday I realized I do not really have to."

Narcissa cuddled up to him and took his hand.

"My father was never at home," Lucius said after a while, "He was always away, even if he was at the Manor, he spent most of the day in his office; there were years that I hardly ever saw him."

"I didn't know," Narcissa turned to him and stroked his cheek. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't think it was something I should tell you, I thought it was completely normal." Lucius replied, "Father has managed the estate all by himself, and I don't understand how he was able to control it for so many years... Of course, he's been missing a lot over the last few years. That's the cause of my..., Management problems, but it doesn't matter. All my life I wanted to meet my father's expectations; I wanted him to appreciate me. When he said that he wanted me to take over his duties, I thought that finally, I would prove my merit to him." Lucius poured himself some wine, "And I guess it would happen; I started to get good at it. I was getting better and better. I hired Thomas because my father made a lot of arrears, but I thought it would be only a temporary solution. I thought that after some time I would dismiss him and I'll handle everything by myself."

Narcissa sat across from him, pushed her short golden hair aside.

"I left you," Lucius looked away, "You were alone with all this; I didn't even have time to talk to you...,"

"Why are you torturing yourself with this?" she asked, "I shouldn't have told you about it at all; I would have dealt with your mother, I shouldn't have upset you."

"I hurt you, and I couldn't realize it. I'm sorry that you had to witness this argument with my mother; I'm sorry I didn't come back for so long. I didn't want you to see me then."

"You hurt me, it's true, but so what?" Narcissa looked at him carefully. "You want to fix it - we are here, your mother changed her attitude towards me, don't think about it anymore. I still love you; nothing would change it."

Lucius felt an enormous weight drop from his heart.

"I do not want to be my father," he said, placing his head on her thighs, "I will work only as much as necessary. I have hired Thomas permanently..."

"He agreed?"

"Not yet, but he'll accept the offer; it's too good to be turned down. He will be an overseer; we will hire subcontractors and administrators. It is my heritage - I have to take care of it, but certainly not at the cost of your happiness." Lucius kissed her hand, "I told Thomas that I must have two days off per week, but I want him to replace me. When I settle matters in the estate, I would like to be a diplomat again."

"Very well," Narcissa smiled at him. "You liked it; it will surely bring you more satisfaction than spending all the time in the over papers. Stop thinking about it."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Narcissa kissed him. "I don't want to waste time on this."

The next day, Lucius showed her the surroundings of his father's hunting lodge; he spent a lot of time there as a child. They rode horses, swam in a nearby lake, and significantly depleted Abraas's private wine cellar. They didn't talk any more about what had happened; they didn't need it anymore. Lucius knew Narcissa had forgiven him. She would burst out laughing again, told him about her childhood, about going on vacation to her favorite Black summer mansion near Torquay, about fine sandy beaches, sunrises, and sunsets, the deep blue color of the water. Narcissa loved the sea. She loved the soothing sound of the waves and the smell of salt in the air; she liked to watch gulls and puffins. Cissy liked coastal nature. Lucius informed her that her list had already been sent to Borgin who promised to take care of it as soon as possible. Narcissa, laughing, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Lucius slowly ran his hands over her spine, he did not know when his belt with a loud crack fell on the wooden floor, and her black shirt landed next to him. They had a whole three weeks to catch up; neither of them realized how much they had lost in that time, busy with meaningless things forgot about how much they meant to each other. Nothing could tear them apart. Lucius rediscovered her delicate, milky white body, soft and hard at the same time. Narcissa could not get enough of his mere presence, his deep, soothing voice, his touch. They fell into a short, restless sleep at dawn.

Everything was fine.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bachelor parties can be rather complicated sometimes.

Abraxas returned to the Manor on Thursday morning. He spent the previous week in London, making sure all the documents were in order, and Lucius would receive everything he was entitled to after Abraxas's death. He did not intend to leave this world yet, but he preferred to be secured just in case. While in London, Abraxas fully appreciated all the comforts of the city. He met his old friends, went to pubs in the evenings, spent a lot of time in Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron; he was close to everything; he did not have to worry about supplies or constantly pore over property papers. Although he spent a large part of his time in London with lawyers, Abraxas felt refreshed and relaxed, he was glad that he and his wife would spend the last years of their lives in the capital. Now, however, walking through his family home, he felt a slight twinge of sadness. Abraxas stared at the Carrara marble and mahogany parquet floors; he thought fondly about the oak paneling, the beautiful hand-woven tapestries and works of art, the portraits of his family, and the antique ebony furniture his father had ordered to bring. Before he went to see his family, he visited his favorite hidden chamber in which he liked to play as a child. He spent some time in his office where he tenderly stroked the top of the carved mahogany desk that had been his faithful companion for many years. He looked out the window, glanced at the forest and water-meadows, thought about the vast, beautiful grounds surrounding his house.

Abraxas realized that this moment would come since Lucius was born. While standing over his cradle and looking at the sleeping baby, he imagined the day when his son would take his place, he knew it was the natural course of things, but he did not think that stepping into the shadows would be for him such a depressing process. He felt old and forgotten. Lucius coped brilliantly with business and estate; he did not need his father's help. He was to get married in two days; he would have children soon. Abraxas realized in the last few weeks that he was never a good father. He did not devote enough time to his child, did not let him feel that he was proud of him. Abraxas was indifferent to Lucius's every success. He hadn't commented in any way about Lucius's excellent N.E.W.T. results; he ignored his son's successes in the ministry. For a long time, Mr. Malfoy couldn't admit that his son was very talented and was doing well. Abraxas missed the childhood and adolescence of his only child because of his workaholism. He missed the moment when Lucius grew up. Only when his son was already a man, it came to Abraxas that he did not know Lucius at all. He did not know what he liked, what he enjoyed, and what made him unhappy.

Contrary to what he tried to convince his son, he was not a good husband either. He didn't love Galatea. She wasn't the dearest person to him. Yes, he respected her, and through all their years together she became his friend, he valued and liked her, but he couldn't love her. He cheated on his wife; he had multiple lovers all his life; he ran away from household chores as much as he could. Abraxas believed that his only responsibility was to increase his fortune. He was not happy in marriage, yet he tried to force Lucius to marry a girl he wouldn't love. Suddenly all his behavior; his attempts to force Lucius into an arranged marriage seemed to him stupid and inappropriate. Abraxas didn't understand why he couldn't accept his son's choice, which, after all, complied with all the criteria. He couldn't explain why he did not like Narcissa so much, why was he clinging to meaningless details. He could see how much Lucius loved her and how much she loved him, yet he couldn't understand and accept it.

He realized painfully how great a hypocrite he was: cheating on his wife all his life, while at the same time criticizing his son that he hadn't waited until marriage with sex. He remembered all the quarrels he had caused over the last weeks, and suddenly he was ashamed of his behavior. He found nothing to justify himself. Narcissa, despite his reluctance, was always good and warm to him. When in Lucius's absence they spent afternoons together, she always remembered which tea he liked best. When they went for a walk, she always had his favorite green apple for him. She held his arm and listened attentively to everything he had to say. As Abraxas watched Narcissa read books in the evenings, wrote letters, pushed back her long blond hair, he finally realized that in the end, he would have a daughter he wanted so desperately, and whom he never had.

Looking at the silver-framed photo of Lucius, taken just after graduation, he felt a surge of cool determination.

"I'll fix it all," he thought, "Once in my life, I'll do something right.

He sighed deeply, glancing at his office, which, since he had left it at Lucius's disposal, looked completely different than when Abraxas was using it. Everything was neatly organized and sorted. Piles of papers tied with string hidden in drawers; there were only pens and blank sheets of parchment on the desk. Lucius was pedantic, liked to have everything under control; he hated chaos and disorder; he was different from his father. Abraxas looked out the window one last time and left the office; he didn't want to prolong it. He knew that the sooner he accepted it, the better for everyone. Reluctantly he went downstairs - at Mr. Malfoy's house breakfast was usually eaten between ten and eleven; he expected to find everyone at the table, the greater was his surprise when it turned out that the dining room was empty. Abraxas took a brioche from the platter and thoughtfully looked at the table set for breakfast. It was sacred for his wife and son; he didn't remember that any of them had ever missed it. Even in the worst period of his teenage rebellion, Lucius ate breakfast with his mother every day when at home. Abraxas stood leaning against the wall for a moment and pondering what might have happened when he heard the front door slam and Narcissa's loud laugh. Abraxas surreptitiously peeked around the corner and watched his son nonchalantly embrace her waist and press her to his side; both of them had luggage, and they looked even more arrogant than usual. Abraxas quickly sat down at the table, pretending to be very busy with his newspaper, brioche, and black coffee.

"Yes, and you know what he said to me then?" Lucius asked with amusement. "That they would only sign this treaty when...," He broke off suddenly, seeing his father sitting at the table. "We weren't expecting you today, father."

"Good morning son, Cissy," Abraxas looked at them attentively, the happiness that radiated from them was almost palpable. "I was supposed to come tomorrow, but I managed to arrange everything earlier, so I decided to come back the day before."

"I understand that everything went well?" Lucius sat down next to Narcissa, poured himself and her tea. "Croissant, darling?" He handed her a plate. "Maybe you prefer pain au chocolat?"

"Thank you, I'll have a croissant." Narcissa smiled brightly at him, "Is my father well?" She looked at Abraxas, her eyes sparkled as if she had a fever. "Lucius said you wanted to write down our wedding contract as well."

"Oh yes, it went very well; everything is fine." Abraxas watched them carefully: they were tired, but their behavior contradicted it, they looked like they drank too much potion of vigor. "Your father, Cissy, feels much better. The contract has been written, I have it here. You only need to sign it." Abraxas sipped some coffee, "Where is your mother, son?"

"I don't know, since she hasn't come down, she's probably upstairs," Lucius replied in a changed voice. "I want to hire an overseer, I need more free time; hope you have no problem with that?"

Abraxas was getting ready to reprimand him - he never had an overseer, and he was doing very well, but he remembered that he decided to change his behavior in time.

"No, Lucius, it is fine," he said after a moment's hesitation. "Do as you see fit. Why is your mother not at breakfast?" Abraxas was not going to let go. "What happened here?"

"She will tell you herself," Lucius looked him straight in the eye, "I'm sick of this subject - you should hear it from her."

Abraxas felt that he was getting sick, he realized that they must have had a serious quarrel, and since his son did not want to talk about it, the whole situation was about Narcissa.

"Of course, I understand. I'll go see her after breakfast." Abraxas poured himself some coffee, "This overseer... Who is it?"

"Thomas Fawley," Lucius leaned back in his chair casually, "He had excellent references..."

"I heard about him," Abraxas folded the newspaper in half, "It's sad what happened to his father, so many debts, such a beautiful fortune was auctioned off..., My good friend used Fawley's services, it's a very good choice."

Lucius looked at his father in surprise; for the first time in his life, he heard direct praise from him. He didn't know what to say; he wasn't prepared for it.

"Thank you, father," Lucius said after a moment of hesitation, "I'm meeting my friends tonight, but you probably have nothing to do for me in London?"

"No, I don't," Abraxas got up and took out a small package from the inside pocket of his jacket, "What are you going to do?"

"We're going to get wasted," Lucius smiled mischievously at him, "This is my bachelor party, after all. Narcissa will be in the city today either, her friends are here."

"I have a gift for you, Cissy," Abraxas did not comment on it. He still remembered Lucius coming home from a libation with his friends six months ago so drunk that he fell down the stairs. Abraxas only hoped that his son had come to his senses since then. "I think you will like it."

Abraxas handed her the package, watched Narcissa open the gift, and carefully examined the delicate gold bracelet.

"Thank you," she said, surprised. "It's lovely."

"I'm glad," Abraxas beamed. "I'll leave you now; I'll go find your mother, son."

Lucius watched Abraxas disapparated and wondered what had just happened. His father criticized him all his life; he fought with him at every step. Abraxas made it clear that he doesn't like nor accept Narcissa or Lucius's life choices and was dissatisfied with his diplomatic career. Out of a sudden, after all these years, Abraxas began to praise his son, give Cissy presents, refrained from malicious remarks, gave him a free hand to make decisions. Lucius didn't know what to think about all this; he was surprised and baffled; he expected something completely different.

"What happened to him?" Narcissa looked at Lucius with surprise. "Someone changed your father?"

"I have no idea," he replied, embracing her. "What are you planning for tonight?"

"We'll get drunk," Cissy gave him an amused look, "Jeanne, Marie, and Laura will bring lots of wine from France, and Bella promised to bring gin and brandy. Oh, I haven't had the chance to drink with my sister in a long time; I can't wait." Narcissa cuddled up to him, "And you?"

"More or less the same," Lucius smiled at her. "We're meeting at Roddy's house on Regent Street; then we'll probably go out. I've missed London pubs."

"Did you invite Fawley to the wedding?"

"Not yet, but if you don't mind..."

"I don't. If Thomas becomes the overseer, I assume that he will be with us for a long time, I can see that you liked him." Narcissa squeezed Lucius's hand, "I would like to meet him; I haven't seen him even once since he started working for you.

"Maybe tomorrow then?" Lucius kissed her cheek. "I have to go now, I want to settle everything before I leave."

"All right, go. I'll be in my chambers."

Abraxas found his wife in the living room: she was sitting in her favorite armchair reading a book, she was depressed, and she didn't look very well either.

"Good morning, darling," Abraxas sat down next to her, "Why weren't you at breakfast?"

"I don't want to meet _her,"_ Galatea looked at him angrily, "If you only knew what I've been through because of her..."

Abraxas felt something in his stomach turn. Despite his wife's initial, quite positive attitude towards her future daughter-in-law, over time Galatea disliked Narcissa. She was irritated by her careless style, aversion to early motherhood, and tendency to get her way. According to Galatea, young women should be quiet and submissive. They should take care of the household, social duties, and not professional development. Narcissa was very far from such a model; she did not want Galatea's good advice, which increased their mutual dislike.

"Can you please tell me what happened here?" Abraxas asked gently, "I met them at breakfast, but they wouldn't tell me anything."

"Of course they didn't tell you; Lucius wants to punish me at all costs!" Galatea replied, putting the book back on the table, "I just wanted their wedding to look like I dreamed, but of course she couldn't agree to it, she must have everything according to her idea! I couldn't even invite the whole family! My beautiful, beige tablecloths, crystal tableware, she changed everything!"

"This is indeed outrageous," Abraxas already knew what happened next; he knew his wife's temperament perfectly well, "But we agreed that we would leave the organization of the wedding to them..."

"I never said anything like that," Galatea gasped, "I emphasized that I would like everything to be the way I planned years ago."

"Yes, of course, but, er, Lucius said they would organize it themselves; you were just supposed to help them..."

"I only helped _her_ because he was not interested in it at all; he worked all the time, so she probably used it to do everything her way. I'm sure our son doesn't want a private celebration." Galatea growled, "Three days ago she argued with me, I told her what I thought about it, and she removed all my changes and cast a Permanent Adhesive Spell!"

"What exactly did you tell her?"

"I said that she is not his wife yet and has no right to decide about the wedding! It's obvious, and you know what she did?" Galatea said, tears in her eyes, "She told him about it, can you imagine?! He yelled at me, and Lucius had _never_ raised his voice at me! I regret we agreed to this marriage; our son should choose someone else...She is indecent and defiant, I cannot look at her clothes! And this nonsense with _professional development_! Why can't she be like other young women? She had to enchant him somehow! Lucius would waste his life with her! Oh, my poor little boy...

Abraxas felt sick; he would never address Narcissa directly. He knew Lucius would find out sooner or later. Abraxas didn't even want to know how furious his son was when the whole thing came out.

"You shouldn't do this, my dear."

"Excuse me? I had every right..."

"No, you had no right to treat her like that," Abraxas looked at her coldly. "You should go with it to our son, not to her. In two days she will join our family, how do you imagine it? That you will snarl at each other at the Christmas table? It will be unbearable!

"I don't want to see her at all! Lucius will have to choose: her or me!"

"Do you realize what you are saying?" Abraxas did not believe what he heard, "He loves her!"

"Oh, please, he _wants_ her, it's obvious, but I don't think _..._ "

"Are you blind? Don't you see that they love each other? You should be glad that Lucius is happy! What do you think will happen if you make him choose? Do you think he will choose you and dismiss his wife? Indeed, I didn't think you could be so naive!"

"He wants to bed her, I'm sure if that happens..."

"Do you think they haven't slept together yet?" Abraxas snorted. "You're even more blind than I thought..."

"And you agreed to it?!"

"What could I do? Keep them in chains? I don't like it either, but I've come to terms with it! I will not let our only son stop talking to us because of your sulks!" Abraxas raised his voice, he was angry, "I don't want to lose him now when I can finally be a better father for him!"

"You can't be serious!"

"Enough," Abraxas said in a tone cutting off the discussion, "You will apologize to them today before they go out. From now on, you will be polite to her. You will stop criticizing her; you're a lady - act like one, for God's sake. They are getting married in two days; I won't let you spoil it."

Galatea looked at her husband with a mixture of resignation and anger on her face. She knew she would have to obey him. Without his support, she was in a losing position. 

Galatea couldn't understand why her husband changed his attitude towards Narcissa. He also hadn't the best opinion about her. The reason for which Abraxas began to care so much about improving his relations with Lucius remained a mystery for Galatea. After all, her husband wasn't much interested in their son his entire life. She glared at him angrily and left the living room. Mr. Malfoy sighed - he never thought that his son's wedding would cost him so many nerves.

Lucius sat in his office, casually leaning back in his chair, reading the wedding contract. There was nothing extraordinary about it, the day after tomorrow lots of gold will arrive in the treasury. Cygnus will give him the notarial deeds of the estates that Narcissa will bring him as a dowry. From the moment of signing the contract, Cissy passed under her husband's protection, and Lucius undertook to take care of his wife and satisfy all her needs. 

Lucius was pleased; his father followed his instructions, there was nothing in the document about the children or Narcissa's work. The legal jargon of the contract was clear and elegant. Lucius thought the lawyers their parents hired to write the document had done a great job. He put the contract in an envelope, which he sealed, and put it in a drawer. Lucius looked at the clock, it was almost five pm, and he was due to meet Thomas in a few minutes to discuss all the details. After a while, he heard a knock on the door.

"Please, come in."

Fawley entered his office and sat down in the petitioner's chair.

"You look well," he smiled at Lucius, "Did you manage to read what I did in your absence?"

"Yes, excellent work. Arrange the interviews with these candidates for tomorrow, let's say from twelve to four pm. I want it done before my honeymoon. Have you decided on my offer?"

"I decided to accept it," Thomas handed him a thick envelope. "I signed the contract; there are my initials on each page. I've closed all my other assignments; I'll be at your sole disposal."

"Excellent, I would like you to start right away," Lucius got up, poured them his favorite single malt. "Your chambers lie in the North wing; you will get a bedroom, office, and private bathroom. You will eat with us, not with servants." Thomas bowed slightly; it is a clear recognition, the overseers did not usually eat meals with their principals. "This is your power of attorney: from now on, you will be officially acting on my behalf. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow; I'll be back in a month. I'd like you to send me weekly reports; I need to know what's going on here."

"Of course."

"My father will stay here until my return; I suspect he wishes to see your work..."

"I have nothing against it; it must be difficult for him to accept that he is retiring," Thomas sipped his whiskey; it had a deep, caramel scent, "Aged in rum barrels?"

"Very good," Lucius smiled at him. "Twelve years old. I wish you would let him do something unimportant, make him feel needed. I don't need him bored."

"I will give him this little estate in Wales; there is not much to spoil.

"I think that should do." Young Mr. Malfoy took a small envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket. "I'd like to invite you to my wedding."

"I would be honored," Thomas bowed slightly. "Thank you."

"Narcissa wants to meet you; could you please spend some time with us tomorrow afternoon?"

"With pleasure."

"Oh, and one more thing, today is my bachelor party," Lucius wrote him the address of Roddy's house on a piece of paper, "If you want, you can join us. Now come on, I'll show you around."

Thomas had followed Lucius to see the Manor. He heard many stories about the Malfoy's ancestral estate, but none of them could convey this house's character; where one could feel at every step the weight of the thousand-year history of one of the oldest families in the wizarding world. Thomas listened attentively to the deep voice of his principal. He watched as Lucius's ancestors, all of them with platinum hair and porcelain complexion, glanced at him from the walls with interest. Lucius told him about the reconstructions and modernizations that had taken place in the Manor over the centuries. Thomas was a lawyer; he knew the history very well - he knew that the progenitor of the family, Armand Malfoy, had come to England with William the Conqueror and, thanks to his intelligence and cunning, managed to win the gratitude of the king, who gave him land in Wiltshire, where Armand had built family estate. The Malfoys were never interested in wielding direct power. They preferred to act from the shadows: pull strings, pursue sophisticated political plots, nominate their protégés who, drunk with success, did not realize that they were nothing more than puppets. Although there was no evidence, historians theorized that in the eighteenth century, during the two terms of Minister Osbert, all decisions were made by Septimus Malfoy, and Osbert only signed the papers he obtained. Lucius's ancestors benefited enormously from cooperation with Muggles: his namesake in the sixteenth century was considered a candidate for Queen Elizabeth's hand. When she rejected Lucius Malfoy I, he cursed her so that she would never marry - again, no one managed to get any evidence proving his guilt. The Malfoys made a huge fortune in lucrative dealings with non-magical aristocratic families, seizing their possessions and money, becoming more influential. They collided with the other families of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Having only sons and realizing that multiple children lead to the parcellation of their property, they enriched themselves on enormous dowries brought by daughters from the best English families, marrying young heirs of the Malfoy family.

When the _International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy_ was passed, the Malfoys cut all contacts with the non-magical world. Brutus Malfoy wrote the famous pamphlet _Warlock at War_ , where he made clear his views on blood purity and bonding with Muggles, setting the course that future generations would follow, becoming pure-blood supremacists.

Thomas was well acquainted with the resignation of the first Muggle-born Minister for Magic. Nobby Leach resigned in 1968 due to some embarrassing illness - again, everyone whispered that Abraxas Malfoy was involved; no one, however, could present any evidence against him. Lucius's father delayed the laws that were unfortunate to him; he forced those that might have contributed to his fortune. Many people owed him favors and money; he had enormous influence. 

During his brilliant career in the ministry, Lucius blocked a bill concerning the erasure of blood status information from official documents and ID cards. He did not do it himself. Several other committee members supported him, and although rumor had it that young Mr. Malfoy bribed them, the interested parties were silent like a grave, and no one was able to prove anything. Looking at his principal, dressed in a maroon shirt and black vest, Thomas thought that Lucius could win anyone over just with his appearance. Tall and handsome, with an endearing smile and impeccable manners, perfectly educated and polite, always well-dressed, eloquent, with a sophisticated sense of humor. Women clung to him; men wanted to befriend him - there was no social event to which he would not be invited. His low, deep voice inspired trust and encouraged confessions; the interlocutors did not know when they entrusted him with their deepest secrets, asked for help in solving problems, which Lucius agreed to; he knew the power of gratitude. He generously financed various government projects and initiatives. By the age of twenty-two, Lucius's position was already well established. Just like his father, he knew how to use his money and connections to get whatever he wanted. He was influential. 

Although Thomas knew his principal wasn't marrying Narcissa for her money, he realized that association with the House of Black, whose wealth and status were on par with those of the Malfoys, was an excellent move in every way. The elite could talk silently about the inappropriateness of this marriage, but the facts were facts. Narcissa's blood was as clear as a tear; her name opened doors to houses that were closed even to Lucius. Most aristocratic families were somehow related to the Blacks, who could use these connections for their profit. Most importantly, the Blacks were ardent supporters of pure-blood supremacy. Narcissa differed from the rest of the bachelorettes. Just like Lucius, Cissy was eccentric and wasn't conforming to convention. Her vivid intelligence and curiosity of the world, combined with her nonchalant style and disrespect for rules aroused a sensation. Cissy's beauty, originality, and extraordinary approach to life made her the perfect partner for Lucius. 

Thomas looked at the Malfoy coat of arms, read the motto engraved on it. " _Sanctimonia Vincet Semper_ *," he thought, following Lucius, " _Toujours Pur..._ * _Even their ancestral mottos are similar._

"Your chambers," Lucius opened the room with a carved door and let Thomas in, "There is your office over there. If it doesn't suit you..."

"Are you kidding?" Fawley looked out the window; he had a nice view of the forest, "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad," young Mr. Malfoy smiled at him and shook his hand. "I hope to see you tonight."

When Lucius was gone, Fawley stretched out on the bed, unable to believe his luck. A month ago, he was living in a damp basement. The flat was freezing cold in winter, and unpleasantly hot in summer. He worked from dusk to dawn, barely ate, and slept because his priority was money. Fawley had to support his mother and sister financially.

Now, Thomas finally returned to the life that had been brutally taken away from him. He lived in a beautiful estate, had a decent salary, permanent job, and was well on his way to strengthening his relationship with Lucius Malfoy, whom he genuinely liked. Fawley thought that the world was not so bad after all, got up and started writing letters to his family; he had a few more things to do.

Narcissa was sitting at a pretty ebony desk in her study, finishing a letter to the board of St. Mungo's Hospital. She presented her references, the titles of articles that she authored, the recipes she prepared, and the research plan that she intended to conduct. Narcissa expressed hope for long-term cooperation. She did not want to work directly in the hospital - she had everything she needed in the Manor. Cissy, however, wanted to establish contact with specialists from London. The possibility of consultations was a great opportunity for her.

Narcissa was irritated by the fact that she had to ask Lucius to approve of her career. He was as embarrassed as she was when he signed the short document necessary for her application. Lucius understood that she didn't want to stay at home and spend the rest of her life as a socialite, attending women's organizations, and being his ornament. When Narcissa told him that she was overwhelmed by his parents' expectations and she wasn't ready for a child, Lucius replied that it was obvious. He would never press her; he cared for her; his priority was her well-being.

Narcissa hadn't supposed that while wandering in the woods surrounding her aunt's mansion, she would meet by accident the love of her life. She wasn't ignorant, she knew the Malfoys had a son her age, but her family had never had a close relationship with them. Cissy couldn't have known that they lived so close to her aunt. When she first met Lucius, standing by the river on that memorable summer afternoon, she couldn't shake off the impression he made on her. Cissy recalled his regular silhouette and noble face; she was shaky and anxious, couldn't stop thinking about him. She didn't understand what was happening to her; she had never experienced a similar feeling. Narcissa couldn't sleep, she didn't want to eat, dreaming about horse escapades, just to meet him again. When she finally found out who he was, she felt a rush of cold determination - Cissy wanted to have him only for herself. She wouldn't bear it if he had chosen someone other than her. Narcissa didn't want to admit to herself that she was madly in love with him. She only realized it when she saw him again, unhappy and sick with despair, in a shirt casually unbuttoned at the neck. She loved his effortless style, his nonchalant behavior; she could not take her eyes off him. When she found out that Lucius was in love with her, she was overjoyed. Narcissa loved her future husband more than anything. Within the few weeks during which they were practically inseparable, she realized that she would rather die than live without him. Cissy trusted him immensely; she felt safe with him; she knew that Lucius would never do anything against her will. He listened carefully to her, he was keenly interested in what she liked, in her passions and interests. Lucius was different from the men she knew, who saw only a beautiful doll in her. Lucius treated her as an equal, respected her opinion, respected her - Narcissa was extremely grateful to him for that.

She sealed the letter and put it in a drawer, looked out the window, look at the well-kept gardens, and smiled to herself. In two days, Malfoy Manor will officially be her home. Cissy was happy and excited. She never thought that by the age of twenty, she would marry a man she loved; that she would be able to work and develop; that her husband wouldn't lock her in a golden cage, which she was always afraid of.

A knock on the door broke her out of her thoughts, and Lucius entered her study. Narcissa threw her arms around his neck, and he kissed her passionately, running his hands over her exposed back. They couldn't stop thinking about the intoxicating moments spent in the hunting lodge.

"Our honeymoon started before we got married," Narcissa smiled at him, "I think everyone noticed."

"Father looked like he was about to have a heart attack." Lucius put his hands in his pockets. "Thomas told me I looked good; I know what he meant by that."

"He agreed?"

"Yes, he started today. I gave him chambers in the North Wing, he will eat with us."

"It's a good idea," she said, smoothing the wrinkles on his shoulders. "He is a pure-blood, and a high born gentleman, his fathers' mistakes won't change it. What about a wedding? Did you invite him?"

"Yes, he said he was honored, I asked him to spend some time with us tomorrow."

"Thank you," she took his hand. "Have you read the wedding contract? I know I shouldn't know anything about it..."

"Cissy, please, it's obvious that I'll tell you what's there," Lucius embraced her, "Your dowry is almost a half a million in gold, Black's ancestral house on Mayfair...,"

"Good, I like it."

"...Your favorite summer estate in Devon, I emphasized that it must be this one." Lucius smiled at her; he knew how much Cissy liked it. "I am responsible for your wellbeing - as if I didn't know it myself. Our parents wanted to add a clause that you won't be working but I didn't agree and it was deleted; just like all the guidelines regarding the offspring. It was the hardest part; they didn't want to let go, but I managed to force it on them. We aren't limited by anything, except for standard crap like taking care of the good name of the family, as if my father cared when he fucked all women in London..."

"Thank you," Cissy's voice quivered, "It means a lot to me ..."

"Look at me," Lucius stroked her cheek. "What's wrong?"

Narcissa looked at him and felt a voice stuck in her throat. She fully realized how much he loved her. She was always touched by his kindness and gentleness; his tone of voice when he spoke to her, the way he looked at her.

"Nobody ever treated me like this," she raised her wet eyes at him. "Nobody ever listened to me, never paid attention to what I felt." I still... None of my friends knew what was in the wedding contract, all of them had to quit their jobs, some of them have two children at my age... Thank you."

"All my life, I did what my parents told me to do. Only when I met you, I decided to do as I see fit." Lucius said after a moment. "I want you to be happy with me - I don't care about anything else. You don't have to thank me; just get over it because I don't think it will ever change."

Narcissa nestled her face into his maroon shirt; Lucius embraced her, feeling the scent of fresh jasmine flowers. Neither of them spoke for a long moment - there was nothing left to say.

Galatea was sitting next to her husband in the spacious living room of the Malfoy Manor. She was still grumpy and hated that she would have to apologize to Narcissa and Lucius. She was absolutely convinced that she was right, and Abraxas's categorical tone upset her even more. Galatea didn't understand why her husband suddenly took the side of their future daughter-in-law. Holding her hands clenched on her laps, Galatea looked at Narcissa walking by Lucius's side, dressed in high-waisted trousers and a black shirt. She watched as Cissy gracefully tossed her long, fair hair back, moved lightly and gracefully. Galatea thought reluctantly that Cissy was very beautiful. Her delicate features and high cheekbones made Galatea think about Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Huge, almond-shaped, emerald eyes sparkled with vivid intelligence, and with her smile, Cissy could light up every moment. Galatea felt a sudden twinge of jealousy - this woman was taking Lucius away from her; she brutally invaded her life, no one even asked her opinion. Galatea was well aware that this was going to happen, she knew Lucius would marry, and no longer need his mother. Mrs. Malfoy never suspected, however, that he would choose someone like Narcissa. Galatea would prefer some nice, quiet girl like Alice or Esther, raised in England, without any strange ambitions, fully aware that the main duty of a woman is domesticity. A modest and self-respecting girl, who wouldn't have such a free lifestyle. God only knew what and with whom Narcissa was doing in France.

Lucius seemed Galatea to be crystal clear. She thought her son never had sex, drank, dueled, or fought. In her idealized image, Lucius was a shy, gentle boy who needed her protection. For years she had not noticed or did not want to notice how much risk attracted him. When he returned home in the evenings with a cut lip or a black eye, Galatea blamed it all on Quidditch or polo. Looking at his wounded knuckles, she persuaded herself that it was all because of sport. She conveniently forgot that he had the best fencing and hand-to-hand combat teachers, somehow she ceased to remember that every vacation since he was thirteen years old, he practiced duels. In her head, Lucius was still a tiny boy who was afraid of horses and ate challah and jam at Christmas dinner. Like Abraxas, she missed the moment their son became a grown man. Unlike her husband, she was incapable of any self-reflection. The truth was that Lucius was bored with these modest, nice girls. He was not interested in their stories about little cousins and younger siblings; he was bored with their bland and sweet tone of voice. Lucius knew perfectly well that these women were waiting for a signal from him, he could have had them at any time. At some point, however, Lucius found himself no longer satisfied with just sex. He had nothing to talk about to these women. As he dressed, he listened to their chatter about the children and scandals he didn't care about, remembering to nod when the moment was right. He was irritated by their buttery glances and the genuine admiration with which they looked at him. Lucius liked risk and adrenaline, challenges; he was not interested in what he could easily have. Galatea didn't understand it; she didn't know her son as well as she thought she knew him, so she projected her imaginations on him, creating a perfect image for herself, which had little to do with reality.

"You wanted to see us, mother," said Lucius coldly, pressing Narcissa to his side; he was still angry. "What is it?"

Galatea looked at them gloomily; even she had to admit that they made a beautiful pair - both tall, slender, fair-haired, with beautiful figures and noble features - they looked perfect together.

"I, er," Galatea stuttered; Abraxas send her a warning look, "I wantedtoapologizeformybehavior."

"Excuse me? I don't understand anything, you must speak slower."

"I wanted to apologize to you for my behavior," she recited mechanically, clearly pronouncing each word.

"I accept the apology," Narcissa looked her straight in the eye, she knew how forced this situation was, but she appreciated the gesture itself. "Let's forget about it."

"It's for the best," said Lucius, "I hope it doesn't happen again."

"Mother will try very hard, son." Abraxas folded the newspaper in half. "I'm sure it was the last time."

Lucius looked suspiciously at his father. He knew that his mother would never apologize to Narcissa of her own free will; he knew that Abraxas had something in common with this, as his word was a law in this house. Lucius did not understand what happened to him suddenly. Change in his behavior was huge, and Lucius didn't know what to expect. After a while, however, he concluded that he liked such a father more than the one who criticized him for premarital sex.

"Perfect," Lucius said after a while, "I don't know when I'll be back, rather don't wait for me." And you, darling?"

"Likewise," she kissed him goodbye, "Have fun."

"You too," Lucius smiled at her.

He watched as Narcissa dropped a handful of powder into the fireplace and disappeared into the emerald flames. Lucius looked at his parents; Galatea was reading a book, and Abraxas was checking something in his calendar. At first glance, they seemed completely normal, but Lucius felt a hostile tension between them. He sighed imperceptibly; he loved his parents, but he did not want to try to reconcile them now. He had other matters on his mind, Lucius knew from experience that they couldn't argue for long, and sooner or later they would reconcile.

He put his hands in his pockets, left the living room, and disapparated with a soft pop. A few seconds later, Lucius appeared in front of Roddy's house. It was a pretty, eighteenth-century building made of white sandstone, with tall windows, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence. Lucius walked through the gate and rang the bell. Although he would never want to live in the city, he appreciated all its advantages. When he worked in the ministry, he liked to go to Hyde Park; he loved going out with his friends after work. Lucius wandered for hours on small streets and wide alleys; he liked this city, always alive, bright, offering countless opportunities. Lucius was an Englishman; London always made him proud. Finally, the door opened and 

Rodolphus stood on the threshold. They greeted each other smiling heartily - they were best friends after all. Lucius followed him into the house, they walked across the hall to the smoking room where all his friends were already sitting, Rabastan, Avery, Snape, Dolohov, and there was Thomas, leaning nonchalantly against the fireplace with a cigarette in the corner of his lips.

Lucius greeted all of them; accepted their congratulations, and smiled when they said that without him, the bachelorhood would never be the same. He poured himself a brandy, sat down, and sank in conversation. He apologized to them for his behavior during the engagement party, told how he met Narcissa and how much he loved her. Lucius felt that they should know it. His friends quickly understood why he was so furious with them when they tried to get the spicy details out of him.

"Why didn't you tell us about it earlier?" Roddy looked at him reproachfully, "I told you about Bella...,"

"I don't know," Lucius finished his brandy and immediately poured himself another one, "I just didn't want everyone to know about it right away...,"

"Oh, leave him alone," Snape leaned casually in his chair, "enjoy his happiness; it's simple."

"But we are happy," Rabastan smiled at him, "I must admit that once you become a stable and responsible man...,"

"The head of the family," Avery interrupted him, "Father ...

"There will be no more getting wasted until five am, no more one night stands...," added Dolohov, "You will abandon your friends...,"

"We will miss you," Snape interrupted him. "I hope you won't forget about us."

"Come on," Lucius laughed. "I'll be visiting you."

"How does she feel about your plans?" Rudolf asked when they stopped laughing, "You still want to join us, right?"

"She fully supports them, I didn't expect anything else," Lucius stretched, "I will join you, but not earlier than in six months. I'm leaving for a month in two days; then I have to clean up this mess my father left me with. I will not be of any use to the Dark Lord as a landowner imprisoned in the Manor."

"And he will be waiting for you? Snape asked surprised, "How is that possible?"

"I am very valuable," Lucius replied, smiling boastfully and poured himself a brandy. "When I worked in the ministry I gave him a lot of useful information. It was because of me that you managed to discredit the Auror Office. That was brilliant; how they entered the empty house, convinced that Lord Voldemort would be sitting there and waiting for them. I even felt sorry for Scrimgeour as he had to explain himself out of it. I was surprised that he did not resign. When I blocked that law...,"

"As we all know legally, of course," Fawley gave him a meaningful look. "Very comfortable, in exactly four votes."

"I can be very convincing when I want to," Lucius smiled; this smile could get him anything that he wanted. "I will return to the ministry; my colleagues miss me dearly. I will be most useful there."

"You play with fire," Snape shook his head. "Have you thought it through?"

"I know what I'm doing," Lucius replied coldly. "The only difference is that I don't have a Dark Mark; it doesn't change much, everything in its time."

He didn't want to talk about it any longer; he was just as focused on the causer as they were. The difference between them was that he did not consider low-thought, risky operations as something that would make them successful. Rodolphus and Rabastan were eager to fight; Snape was very young, he did not want to sit tight. Avery and Dolohov lacked the patience to intrigue, and Lucius realized that the Dark Lord needed informants inside the ministry. In 1975 he did not have them too much, any additional person who could pass on valuable information was worth its weight in gold, and Lucius was going to take advantage of it. They changed the subject to a more accessible one; neither of them wanted to argue today. Fawley told them about how Francis Mulciber was caught by his wife in a matrimonial bedroom with a lover, which was very amusing. Lucius did not fail to mention the embarrassing engagement process in which his father pretended never to cheat on his mother, and said restraint is the most valuable feature of the aristocracy. Everyone had a lot of stories to tell. Avery recently returned from his summer mansion where he was turned down by a very pretty girl. Rabastan was going through a period of fascination with herbology, he began to lively talk about the rare plants he imported from China. He also vividly described his winter garden in his home in London. Lucius and Rodolphus exchanged amused glances Rabastan's new passions were a constant element of their lives. Six months ago he was keenly interested in collecting stamps, a year ago his attention was drawn to numismatics, and when he was still at school, he was passionate about breeding marine creatures, none of these fascinations has lasted longer than six months. Snape brewed potions for money and managed to live quite well off it. The alcohol was pouring in streams, a few minutes after midnight they were already quite drunk and agreed that it was the perfect time to go out. They wandered through London's streets, all handsome and well-dressed, passing friends now and then who had the same idea as them. The night was warm and velvety; the air saturated with the scent of blooming magnolias. Fawley turned out to be a seasoned expert on London bars - he led them from one to the other. Lucius's purse grew lighter with each subsequent order, but it was not a problem for him; he prepared in advance, he withdrew a large sum of money.

He did not suppose that he missed so much going out with friends. The buzz of chatter, smoky pubs, random acquaintances, a pleasant conversation about nothing. Leaning back in his chair, Lucius listened to anecdotes, told about everything that happened to him, listened attentively to what they had to say to him. When they ran out of brandy, Lucius went to the bar to replenish their alcohol supplies. While standing in the queue, he unbuttoned his shirt at the neck and rolled-up sleeves, looked at the bottles filling the shelves, and wondered what to buy when suddenly he heard his name in the noise. He looked around carefully, pretending to be occupied only by the alcohol rack, and imperceptibly moved closer to the table where Arthur Weasley, Frank Longbottom, and Kingsley Shacklebolt were sitting.

"Come on, Malfoy may want to have a small wedding, they already threw an engagement party for almost five hundred people," he heard Kingsley's low voice. "It's no big deal."

"And I tell you it is, why are they getting married so suddenly?" Arthur sipped his whiskey, "They hardly know each other...,"

The bartender looked at Lucius politely.

"A bottle of penderryn sherrywood, please," he said, his ears twitching.

"... Molly saw her brother recently, he was in France when Narcissa lived there.'' Arthur continued. "Everyone said she was involved in some kind of affair with a French aristocrat, Jacques de something, I don't remember the name, but she left very quickly, and after a month she marries young Malfoy?"

"Fifteen Galleons," the bartender looked at him suspiciously; Lucius hastily counted out the money.

"Nobody knows what she did in France and with whom... She's probably pregnant; it's not visible yet... She hooked up, and in nine months Malfoy will have an unpleasant surprise. Narcissa is getting married so soon because she doesn't have much time...,"

The bartender was saying something, but Lucius stopped listening to him. He felt a cold rage rising in him - what he heard was not only a disgusting lie but an affront directly aimed at his good name. _She hooked up_ , he realized the meaning of these words and he felt a sudden urge to murder.

"Good evening, Arthur," Weasley turned abruptly; Lucius looked him straight in the eye, his gaze was razor-sharp, "Would you like to tell me something?"

"Good evening, Lucius," Arthur stood up, "No, I don't think I have anything to say to you."

"How odd, a moment ago I heard you said very interesting things about my fiancée," Lucius bared his teeth, "Go ahead, please. You said she was a whore and I would be raising someone's bastard?"

"Oh no, I didn't say anything like that," Arthur looked insolently into his eyes, "You must have misheard,"...

Before anyone could react, Lucius grabbed Arthur by the lapels of his jacket and hit him in the face, once again from the backhand. Arthur weakened in his hands, but after a while, he got up and hit Lucius with his left hook. Blood leaked from Lucius's cut lip. Arthur swung at him, but Lucius was faster, he dodged and Arthur's fist hit the air. Without encountering any resistance, Weasley lost his balance for a moment, Lucius just waited for it. He cut Arthur off at his knees with a move he had learned in hundreds of brawls, then kicked him with his steel padded boot into the solar plexus. Lucius finally hunted him down, and a barrage of carefully aimed blows fell on Arthur. Snape and Thomas were first to shake off the shock, they were at Lucius in several dozen seconds, pulling him away from Arthur lying on the ground, which probably saved his life. The bar customers stared at them in amazement, no one said anything, the bartender let go of the mug he had just been wiping from his hand.

"Calm down," Snape struggled with Lucius, "You will kill him!"

"Gentlemen, we're all drunk." Kingsley Shacklebolt picked up heavily panting Arthur from the floor, "I think we should calm down and go our own way. Our friend's behavior was unacceptable...,"

"Let me go!" Lucius tried to pull away, but Snape and Thomas held him tightly, "LET ME GO!"

"Nobody wants to start a brawl," Kingsley looked at them calmly, "We should leave, and don't see each other again today."

"WE'RE NOT DONE HERE, YOU SON OF A BITCH! LET ME GO! "Lucius struggled, looking furiously at his friends, "IF YOU WON'T LET ME GO...,"

"Shut up," Snape growled, "You will do her a beautiful favor when you find yourself in Azkaban the day before your wedding."

"We're leaving, gentlemen," Rodolpus nodded to Kingsley. "I hope we won't meet again."

Snape and Thomas released Lucius, he was still furious. He gasped and looked at Arthur with hate, but he didn't attack him. Lucius straightened his vest and shirt torn at the neck, wiped the blood oozing from his cut lip with the back of his hand - he felt his face begin to swell. Lucius looked at his wounded knuckles and cursed - he would have to explain it to Narcissa somehow.

"What are you looking at?" Lucius growled at the stunned guests, "Go back to drinking, now."

Kingsley shook his hand, looking him in the eye. 

They didn't like each other but they shared mutual respect.

"Congratulations on your marriage," Shacklebolt slightly bowed, "I wish you all the best."

"Thank you," Lucius drawled icily.

As he passed the bar, he took a bottle of penderyn sherrywood from the counter that he had bought before the fight. The stunned bartender stared at him in shock; Lucius tossed him a stuffed purse.

"Sorry for the mess," he growled, and after a while, he walked out into the London night.

He opened the bottle and took a sip. The cut lip stung him painfully; Thomas handed him a cigarette and Lucius lit it up, taking a deep drag. He was still furious - _she hooked up_ , _in nine months Malfoy will have an unpleasant surprise_...," he remembered Arthur's words, and his eyes darkened out of anger.

"What the fuck was that? " asked Rabastan, taking the bottle, "Not that I like him, but you barely spoke...,"

"Let's just say I didn't like what they were talking about," Lucius grimaced. "And since they talked about Narcissa, I got a little carried away, and I'm drunk. You've seen the rest."

"They never expect you to cut them off." Avery patted him on the shoulder. You showed him his place; maybe next time he will think twice before he says something."

"I don't think so," Lucius felt that he was starting to sober, touched the bruised side of his face, his cheek was tender and cut. "That pathetic caricature of a man, that mudbloods lover, that traitor dared to offend her if you hadn't held me back...,"

"If we hadn't held you back, you'd have killed him," Thomas sipped his whiskey, "It's not worth it.

Lucius knew Fawley was right; he was so furious that he wasn't thinking rationally. He wanted Arthur to pay for his hideous lies, that he would never speak again. Lucius recalled Arthur's swollen face and smiled with vindictive satisfaction. Weasley was severely punished, scars would remain for a while, and Lucius thought that things had turned well in the end. He felt an unpleasant throbbing under his eye, he took a handkerchief from the inside pocket of his jacket and put it to his cut cheek. Lucius didn't know what time it was, but the sun was already rising, so he assumed it must be well past four am. He thought about the candidates for sawmill overseer scheduled at noon and suddenly felt sick; he didn't want to deal with it at all.

"It was a marvelous evening, gentlemen," Lucius said and smiled at his friends, "Thank you very much for it, but I think we should go home. I have to start working tomorrow, actually today, at noon."

"And you're hurt," said Rodolphus consciously. "It doesn't look good."

"It used to be worse," Lucius shook his hand. "I'll get over this somehow."

"I'll come back with you," Thomas stood next to him, "I'd rather not miss my first day of work."

They bid farewell to everyone and disapparated with a soft pop.

In the Manor, they parted in two different directions. Lucius quietly climbed the stairs and carefully opened the door to his chambers. Narcissa was asleep. He slipped silently into the bathroom, lit a candle, and looked in the mirror. He cursed under his breath; it was worse than he thought. His shirt was covered with blood, an ugly cut on his cheek did not want to close for some reason - a pale pink liquid was seeping from it all the time. He had a black eye, and a gash on his lip was covered with an unsightly scab.

 _Aw fuck,_ Lucius thought while unbuttoning his shirt, _Fuck me._

He washed his hands, and started to dress the wounds on his face, at the very end bandaged his knuckles, then undressed and went to bed; he had no strength for anything else.

"It's good that you're back," Narcissa muttered semi-consciously, cuddling up to him, "Very good…,"

Lucius embraced her - suddenly all the anger evaporated from him. When she was close to him, everything else ceased to matter. Closing his eyes, he thought that Cissy would discover in a few hours that he was in a fight and she would not like it, but Lucius wasn't able to think about it any longer; he was too tired. A moment later, he was asleep; he had a night of deep sleep without dreams.

The next day he woke up sleepy and tired, his head ached, sunlight irritated him. He was completely sober now; the bruised side of his face hurt, the bandage stuck to his cut cheek. Lucius couldn't blame himself; he did it as skillfully as he could while being so drunk. He looked around the room; Narcissa was sitting on the windowsill, staring at him; she was worried.

"Good morning, darling," he said uncertainly. "I hope you slept well?"

"Very well, thank you," she said. "Can you tell me what happened to you?"

"Err, nothing serious," he shrugged his shoulders, "A small incident took place...,"

"Your shirt is covered with blood, I assume it's not yours, but it is quite disturbing," Cissy looked at him carefully, "Who did you fight with? We should be honest with each other."

"You don't want to know," Lucius got up and poured himself a glass of water. "You really wouldn't want to hear it."

"Yes, I would like to," she said sharply.

"I fought with Arthur Weasley," he said reluctantly, examining the clothes hung in a neat row in front of him, "The reason doesn't matter."

"It does," Narcissa walked over to him and examined his swollen face. "Why haven't you woke me up? I would take care of it right away."

"I didn't want you to wake up at night for no reason, I'm fine," he replied, taking a navy blue shirt, "I managed it myself."

"Take the white one, please; I like it when you wear white," she said. "I see how you managed; it doesn't look good, Lucius... You still haven't told me what happened."

"Very well, white then," he said, "I was standing in the queue at the bar when I heard Arthur make inappropriate _suggestions_ about you." Lucius looked at her carefully.

"Ah, so that's it." Narcissa sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him with round eyes. "And that's why you beat him?"

"Precisely," Lucius recalled Arthur's words; he felt that he was getting hot with anger, "He deserved it."

"It flatters me," she said and blushed, "But I don't want you to ever do that again. I don't want you to fight people like him; it's not worth it.

"But Cissy..."

"I don't want anything to happen to you," Narcissa took his hand, "Besides, the more attention you pay to it, the more these people think they're right...,"

"I will try."

"Thank you," she kissed his healthy cheek, "I will go get what I need to take care of it; with a bit of luck, you will not have any scar."

When she came back carrying a bulky first aid kit, Lucius was sitting in his armchair and browsing his correspondence - he was still hungover, but he had taken a bath and changed; he looked much better. She looked carefully at his swollen face and cut lip, carefully examined his wounded hands, and thought that she would not like to know what Arthur looked like after the confrontation with her future husband. Narcissa knew that Lucius could fight, that he dueled very well. She knew that he was merciless and brutal with his opponents, but he did not find any pleasure in mindless brawls for no reason. He had to be provoked; Cissy wondered what Arthur told him. She sat down next to him and opened the first aid kit; the one that smelled sage and thyme. After twenty minutes, Lucius's wounds were professionally dressed. The pain eased, he felt the swelling on his face significantly reduced.

"You should be well until tomorrow," Cissy smiled at him; and put a towel wrung out of cold water on his neck, "It should help you."

"Thank you," Lucius replied with gratitude, "Did you have fun yesterday?"

"Much fun," she replied, "But at three am I was already home; I went to sleep almost immediately, I didn't hear you come back."

"I came back after four; I will suffer all day now," he drank some water - "What time is it?"

"Quarter to twelve."

"Fuuuuuuuuck, I forgot about these interviews!" Lucius looked at her terrified, "I mean, er, it's most unfortunate..."

"I've heard the word _fuck_ before, darling. Relax, I don't care." Narcissa said amused, "There are your notes on the desk.

Lucius got up and skimmed the papers; his first meeting was in ten minutes. He stuffed all the documents into a leather briefcase, kissed Narcissa goodbye on the run, and ran out into the corridor to enter his office at noon, passing the candidates for deputies standing in the line on the way. Fawley was already waiting for him; he looked terrible. His normally brightly shining eyes were covered with a mist of suffering and was holding a towel just wrung out of cold water in his hand. They looked at each other knowingly; Lucius sat down behind the desk, adjusted the cold towel on the back of his neck.

"Let the first one in; I want it done as soon as possible."

They spent the next hours interviewing applicants, both of them irritated and not even trying to hide it. In the first two hours, nobody interesting showed up. Each candidate was conceited men their fathers' age, arrogant, and insufferable know-it-all. They bravely bear all this; until Thomas finally lost it and asked Mr. McCallister about tax law, which he did not know at all. After fifteen minutes of his muttering, Lucius said that they thank him for his time but look for someone with a different profile. Mr. Adams had quite a lot of management experience, but he treated them like they were twelve years olds, and shouldn't deal with something like running the estate. Mr. Bowery was very young; it quickly turned out that he made up half of his application. Thomas said they would remember about him, and maybe contact him in a few years. When Lucius was hiring Fawley, he was sure that each recruitment process would be simple and easy. What was happening at this moment was a painful failure. Mr. Carter and Monroe were eager to be hired together, and Mr. Andrews demanded double rates for his services.

By half-past four, Lucius had had enough, loosened his necktie, and thought he should have sold this sawmill. He would have had at least one problem less. He stretched casually in his chair waiting for the last candidate. Thomas opened the door, and, to their surprise, instead of Mr. Roberts, a young redheaded girl walked into the office. Fawley and Lucius stared stunned as she sat down in the petitioner's chair and stared at them with big blue eyes.

"You had no appointment," Lucius quickly regained his confidence, "What brings you here, Miss...,"

"Carmichael," she said calmly. "My name is Agnes Carmichael; I'd like to work for you."

"In what character?"

"I'd like to become an overseer of a Lowlands sawmill."

Lucius did not show how surprised he was. 

"I have to look at your application..."

He took a bundle of papers from her. She was two years older than him. Agnes stated in her cover letter that until last year she held a managerial position at her father's timber company in Scotland. Lucius looked at the results of her exams. She had excellent notes; she even completed an internship at the ministry at the International Magical Trading Standards Body. Lucius handed Fawley the papers, who, after reading them, looked at his principal in amazement.

"Why did you quit your father's company?" Thomas asked, submitting her documents, "It still exists."

"It exists, but my father died last year," she said calmly, "My brother took over; he dismissed me from my position and ordered me to take care of the household. I moved out and cut off contacts with him. Within six months, I managed to get back on track sawmills belonging to the Notts, here, I have references from them," she gave Lucius a sealed envelope, "Give me a chance, please."

He took the papers from her and took a quick look at the charts and table; the results were impressive - in six months she managed to double the profits.

"How did you find out that we had interviews today?" Fawley asked suspiciously. "It wasn't made public."

"Roberts is a friend of mine," she replied, looking him in the eye. 

"I knew you wouldn't accept a woman's application for this position, so I came in his place."

"We'll get back to you within a week," Lucius stood up and shook her hand. "Do you have any more questions?"

"I don't, thank you."

As she left and closed the door, Fawley looked at his principal with amazement.

"What do you think about it? Do you believe her?"

"I don't know." Lucius put his hands in his pockets. "We'll have to check her carefully, but she had the best references of them all."

"It's true, to be honest, she is the only one suitable candidate."

"Would a week be enough for you to make a background check?" Lucius put her application in the drawer, "I don't want later to find out that she is a criminal hunted down by the Ministry."

"It will take me no more than four days," Thomas said and closed his leather bag. "A few friends owe me a favor."

"If everything will be fine, hire her for a three-month trial period; you'll have to go there and check her progress...,"

"Are you sure?"

"We must have someone there now; this sawmill has been empty for too long already." Lucius put the papers in his briefcase, "She is the only one who has any experience in the timber industry. If she will be of no use - well, we will fire her, unlike the rest of these clowns she is also pure-blood. Since I allowed Cissy to work, I see no reason why I shouldn't hire Ms. Carmichael." he said in a tone that cut the discussion, "Please, start looking for the other overseers we were talking about. I want it done by my return from France."

"Of course."

Lucius looked at the clock; it was past four. He knew they would have to go to dinner soon; his mother would start saying that polo is a dangerous sport and he needs to be more careful. Lucius felt sick at the thought of having this conversation. It was a mystery to him why all his life Galatea couldn't admit that he was not as perfect as she had imagined. Lucius did not remember the last time he played polo. He recalled a vague memory from four years ago when he was hit in the knee with a mallet by a player from the opposite team. He thought it was time for his mother to accept reality as it was. When Lucius entered the dining room, his parents and Narcissa were sitting at the table. Abraxas was vividly describing something, and Galatea kept interrupting him, claiming that everything happened differently.

"Ah, here you are, Lucius," Galatea looked at him and scowled. "What happened to you?"

"Not now, mother," he replied coldly, "Father, Cissy, this is Thomas Fawley, our new overseer."

"I am pleased to meet you at last." Abraxas stood up and shook his hand. "I've heard a lot of good opinions about your work ethic."

"I'm glad to hear it," Thomas replied, "Managing your property is a great challenge and an opportunity for professional development."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Narcissa gave him a hand to kiss, "Lucius told a lot about you."

"I hope nothing wrong."

"On the contrary," Narcissa smiled gracefully at him, taking her place at the table.

"What happened to you, Lucius?" Galatea wasn't going to let go, "Have you fell off your horse?"

"I've _never_ fallen off a horse, mother," Lucius scooped himself up some mashed potatoes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Nonsense, you look like you've fallen off your horse, or someone hit you with a mallet... Have you played polo?"

"Polo?" Narcissa looked at him in surprise. "You didn't tell me you still play polo..."

"Because I don't," Lucius replied. Although he wasn't showing it, Narcissa had learned to recognize subtle changes in his voice; she knew he was angry. "I haven't played polo in four years, mother."

"But how...,"

"My dear, leave him alone; you can see that he does not want to talk about it." Abraxas tried to change the subject, he did not want another row. Although he had no idea what had happened, he was twenty-two years old once, he knew well what was the cause of swollen cheeks and injured hands. "I ordered to prepare rooms for your family and friends, Cissy; they will sleep in the West wing...,"

"You still play Quidditch. You must have been hit by a bludger..."

"No, mother, I was in a fight," Lucius looked her straight in the eye, "Yesterday in London, at my bachelor party.

"No no, it is impossible, you never participate in fights...,"

"I had a fight in a bar and got drunk with my friends before; it wasn't the first time,' Lucius said coldly, "Thomas was there with me; he can confirm everything. Both Roddy and Rabastan too. You can write to them; they will surely tell you the details."

His mother looked at him with a strange expression on her face. Lucius knew that he had just destroyed her house of cards that she intricately built over the years. Narcissa stared at the asparagus on her plate; Fawley looked away, no one spoke for a moment. Abraxas rolled his eyes, expecting an outburst from Galatea's side, but to his surprise, his wife was still silent, staring at their son with round eyes.

"I'm sorry mother, it's time for you to stop treating me like twelve years old," Lucius said calmly. "Can we finally eat?"

Everyone took care of their plates; no one said anything. Only the clink of porcelain, platters, and tableware could be heard for a moment. Lucius knew his mother would digest what he told her for a while, be hysterical and panicked for no reason, but that wasn't his problem. He should have cut it off much earlier. While eating parfait, Lucius wondered why Galatea's behavior hadn't set an alarm bell earlier, when he left for a diplomatic mission. She wrote to him every day. He did not answer all these letters - he did not have time for it. Lucius was busy, he worked. During his free time, he had love affairs, dueled, met friends. He was sightseeing in Paris, went to banquets and parties, hunted with French dignitaries - above all, he was nineteen, his mother didn't interest him. When he returned home for Christmas, Galatea did not let him out of her sight. She could not accept the fact that he was going out and did not want to spend all days with her. Lucius's return to France was a hard ordeal; on the day of his departure, Galatea fell into hysteria; only Abraxas's categorical order not to make scenes made her regain balance. When Lucius returned to England six months ago, she seemed to be reconciled with her fate, but nothing changed. Lucius understood that his wedding and the fact that his parents were moving out of the family home was difficult for them, but nothing justified his mother's behavior. Getting up from the table and going out to the stables with Thomas and Narcissa, he felt a little remorse - he treated his mother quite harshly, but she gave him no other choice. While he was saddling his horse, he watched Narcissa talk to Thomas; she listened attentively to what he was saying to her, laughed loudly, told him about her life in France - Lucius already knew that they would like each other.

Suddenly he realized that from tomorrow his life would change dramatically. He would be left alone with his wife in the Manor; nothing would limit him. His parents would move out; he would finally be able to do whatever he saw fit and wouldn't have to explain himself. Lucius smiled as he mounted his horse, put his riding crop to his right hand, and followed Narcissa and Fawley, feeling nothing but happiness.  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sanctimonia Vincet Semper - Purity Will Always Conquer  
> Toujours Pur - Always Pure


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains adult content, rated M.

_“Love leaped out in front of us like a murderer in an alley leaping out of nowhere and struck us both at once. As lightning strikes, as a Finnish knife strikes! She, by the way, insisted afterward that it wasn’t so, that we had, of course, loved each other for a long, long time, without knowing each other, never having seen each other… ”_

_~_ Mikhail Bulgakov, _Master and Margarita_

On the wedding day of young Mr. Malfoy, the house was a complete mess. In the morning, Cissy's friends came from France, the preparation of the guest rooms was on the go. The servants bustled in the kitchen and the banquet hall following the orders. Lucius and Narcissa received congratulatory letters, which started to flow to the Manor at dawn. Elegant, silver tableware from mother Cissy's flaunted on the tables, tablecloths shone snow-white; there were freshly cut peonies from the orangery in porcelain vases. The gifts for wedding guests were packed and arranged; the orchestra had a rehearsal in a dressing room on the first floor, the tailor arrived with Lucius's tuxedo for the last fitting - he had to make sure that no corrections were needed. Young Mr. Malfoy looked at his reflection in the mirror and smiled with satisfaction. Everything was perfect; nothing stuck out, the white marcella dress shirt did not wrinkle, the pleat was straight, the silk vest and black pants fit like a glove; the pocket square looked splendid. Lucius thought he had to put a white rose in his boutonniere. He checked everything twice, then thanked his tailor for the astounding work and paid him, adding a hefty tip.

When Lucius went downstairs, he gladly noticed that the situation had calmed down. His mother went from the living room to the banquet hall, where gave orders to the servants. The orchestra ended rehearsal and at last, it was quiet. Narcissa was nowhere to be found; she was probably spending time with her friends while getting ready for the wedding. Lucius smiled to himself; he was excited and happy. He thought about _their wedding_ almost every day since he asked Cissy to marry him, but he did not expect to be so calm. Lucius felt no nervousness or tension at all. Marrying Narcissa was something obvious to him - the natural course of things. He was unable to imagine any other possibility. Entering the living room, he saw his father sitting on the sofa. Abraxas was stoically drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

"Come here please, son," he said coldly, "Right now."

Lucius wandered reluctantly towards his father, he knew from the very tone of his voice that Abraxas was angry, and young Mr. Malfoy began to wonder what had happened again. They had not quarreled once for a month.

"Yes, father?"

"Can you explain this?" Abraxas tossed a newspaper on the coffee table; a picture of Lucius struggling, held down by his friends took half a page. The article itself had four columns and a very sensational headline. "Do you have something to say about this?"

"I have nothing to say; I fought with Artur Weasley, do not ask why, because I will not tell you anyway," Lucius felt sick, "I did not know that someone from the press was there..."

"I'm not stupid, Lucius, you may find it strange, but I was also twenty-two once," Abraxas looked at him angrily, "He must have provoked you somehow, I don't care what he said, but do you realize what will happen here? You're on the third page of the morning's issue, you, and sour-smack Arthur Weasley." Abraxas grimaced slightly. "When will you finally learn to control yourself?"

"What is going to happen here? It is a private event; there will be no press." Lucius argued, "Someone would have to invite them here; it is not easy to get to our house when we do not want to...,"

"Everyone knows about it already; everyone would like to talk about it. I don't think I need to remind you that your colleagues, witnesses of this incident, will be here," Abraxas shook his head, "Arthur Weasley in this photo looks like a wet spot, and you look like you want to kill him, it is not a good recommendation for anyone, much less for a prominent politician and my heir..."

"Oh please, father, nothing happened, it was not at all like this man describes here..."

"Enough," Abraxas folded the paper in half, "I have instructed our lawyers to take care of this case, the newspaper will issue an official apology, but that will not make amends for the damage done. Therefore, a dementi will be sent to the evening issue, in which we will state why you had beaten him. I assume that he seriously offended you...,"

"That's exactly what happened.

"...So we will write that you defended your honor. With any luck, people will forget about it soon, but I wish you would stop participating in brawls. You want to be the head of the family, act like one, "Abraxas looked at him with disapproval, "And if you can't help yourself, at least do it so that no one can see."

Lucius stared at his father glumly, but said nothing, he realized that in this particular case Abraxas was right. His behavior was unreasonable and reckless, he exposed himself to gossip, and the public opinion hated any forms of aggression, no matter why caused. The article was written in bad taste, seemed to be a tabloid, and was intended to attract as many people as possible. Lucius took the newspaper from the table and began to read.

"This is all nonsense, father," he said and grimaced, "Arthur's teeth are in the best order, I did not knock out a single one, I did not use brass knuckles either..."

"I am not interested in any details," Abraxas took the newspaper from him "It is not to happening again. I don't want to read in the press that my son is fighting filthy scums Weasley ever again, is that understood?

"Yes, sir," Lucius growled; he had no remorse.

"Very well then, that does it." Abraxas stretched. "Now take care of your wedding, in three hours you're getting married. I think you should have something to do."

Lucius looked at his father angrily, he did not like to be dismissed, but he refrained from comments, he knew Abraxas was right. He turned on his heel and went to look for Narcissa. He knew that her friends wanted a tour of the Manor, but he did not find Cissy in her chambers, nor the study. The sitting room was empty, and so were her friends' guest rooms. Only when he descended to the ground floor from the other side of the house, he heard salvos of laughter coming from the terrace, where the four of them were sitting focused on a newspaper describing how he had beaten Arthur Weasley two days ago. Approaching them, he felt sick, indeed, everyone knew about what happened. He realized what his father meant - this brawl will be the main topic of conversations at his wedding.

Lucius greeted them, kissed Narcissa on the cheek; neither she nor her friends commented on the article, or asked him for details, for which he was very grateful. He already knew that after today he would have had enough of this topic. Narcissa's friends, whom Lucius briefly met at his engagement party, turned out to be very intelligent and charming. Because of their origins, they were well-mannered and educated, their English was perfect. Jeanne Dammartin, Marie du Bellay, and Laura Polignac, all pure-blood, high-born aristocrats, listened attentively, keenly interested in what he was saying to them, showing them around his ancestral estate. Narcissa walked with him, holding his arm. She laughed and answered the questions she was asked now and then. While watching her explain genealogical complexities to her friends, Lucius realized that he would spend the rest of his life with her. So far he had not thought about the passage of time, suddenly he imagined Narcissa a few years older, surrounded by several children, and this thought delighted him. Lucius thought that he would wake up next to her every day; in the evenings he would watch her loosen her long, fair hair cascading over her alabaster shoulders; he would always feel the heat of her body next to him; nothing would be able to separate them.

Since they were together, the mere awareness that he would find her at home in the evening, that she was waiting for him, made his life easier. When he returned from the city tired, nothing brought him more relief than her gentle touch and soothing voice. When he put his head on her lap and talked about what he did during the day, and she stroked his face, he became sure that everything would work out, that it would be better. Lucius did not understand how he could do without her before. His life before meeting Narcissa seemed to Lucius a procession of meaningless events and relationships. Libations with friends, duels and brawls, empty affairs that always ended in disappointment. When Narcissa smiled at him, straightening her pinned-up hair, he thought that he would not miss his bachelor life. With her by his side, he needed nothing else.

The heirs of the Malfoy family had been marrying for generations in the mirror hall in the Manor, and no one had even thought that it could be done elsewhere. Lucius had a few moments of breakdown, and it crossed his mind that maybe they should just get married in secret and confront their parents with a fait accompli; but it never happened, and he, like all the Malfoys before him, stood on a rug in his family home, dressed in a black wedding tuxedo with a white rose pinned to the lapel. He looked out the window at the water-meadows, then at his parents in the front row. Lucius smiled at them, and they replied with the same. He looked at his reflection in the crystal mirrors, brought by the famous Septimus Malfoy in the eighteenth century from Venice, and he thought that a bright future was opening up for him. Lucius was marrying a woman he loved; he was talented, young, and handsome, money was never a problem; there was nothing he could not arrange thanks to his connections and influences. Above all his parents moved to London, he will finally have a free hand in making decisions, nothing would limit him.

Lucius glanced at the room, filled with the sound of string music and chatter. Although the wedding was private, they invited over a hundred people. The strict elite of the wizarding world - some things couldn't be overcome. The Paris-Malfoys, Lucius' associates from the ministry and his schoolmates arrived; finally, the Minister of Magic, this time without a deputy, heads of individual departments, financiers and diplomats, prominent entrepreneurs, almost all pure-blood, wealthy and influential. Narcissa's family, her friends from France, all with accompanying persons. Young Mr. Malfoy was a well-known and recognizable figure, whether he wanted it or not, and his wedding was considered the most important social event of the season. Everyone got out of their skin to be there. Unfortunately, the invitations were sent only to carefully selected people; Lucius and Narcissa were not going to do exceptions. They were fed up with being an attraction for others.

Of the Sacred-Twenty Eight was only Roddy with his brother, Avery, and Fawley with his sister, Lucius did not want people at his wedding openly showing their dissatisfaction with his marriage. A civil clerk from the ministry was unfolding his papers, the wedding contract in two copies and two elegant pens laid in front of him on the table. Lucius greeted the bridesmaids; Bella laughed and threw her arms around his neck, kissing both his cheeks. Jeanne and Marie, who didn't know him that well, conservatively gave him hands to kiss; they looked beautiful in identical, dirty pink gowns. Snape, Avery, and Rudolf, his groomsmen, in navy blue tuxedos with bunches of wildflowers in their lapels, stood beside him and exchanged brief remarks with him between congratulations.

"Well, Lucius, you are the first of us," said Roddy cheerfully, patting him on the back, "I would never have thought that you will marry so soon."

"You have been with Bella longer than me with Narcissa... Much longer, after all, you started meeting at school," he replied, adjusting the bow tie at the neck, "Get inspired and finally ask her to marry you; you practically live together..."

"My parents are dead, Cygnus isn't pushing for it, but you're right, it's something I have to do." Rodolphus watched as Bella tossed her black curls from her forehead, "It's only a matter of time."

"By the way, I loved the article," Avery smiled at Lucius, " _After the confrontation with young Malfoy, Arthur Weasley lost all his teeth and his jaw, broken with platinum knuckles, will heal for several months..._ "

" _A drunk heir of an aristocratic family wreaks havoc_ ," Snape cut in swiftly, " _Leaving the mess behind him, he took a bottle of whiskey from the bar. Throwing a stuffed purse to the owner, in the tone of a psycho killer he said sorry for the mess._.."

"Pure gold," Lucius stretched, "The only real information from this piece of shit. We sent a dementi."

"We all have read it," Rabastan adjusted the tiny bouquet of wildflowers on the lapel. "It was wonderful, but the _Prophet's_ apology was even better."

"I agree, did you threaten that there would be no annual ball for independent journalism? "Avery nudged him with his elbow, "By the way, it must be splendid since Narcissa will be the head of the organizational committee..."

"My father delegated all our lawyers to this case, so I suspect what the editor-in-chief heard was not the most pleasant," Lucius shrugged. "As for the ball, indeed, Cissy will be the head; she will take my mother's place..."

He broke off suddenly, for the door to the mirror room opened, and Narcissa passed through it, holding her father's arm. The guests stood up and watch as she walked by Cygnus's side. Although Lucius was used to her beauty already, at that moment the sight of her made him gasp with amazement.

Smiling radiantly, she walked gracefully, wearing a simple, deep-cut on the back ivory gown that fitted her elbows long, satin gloves, and an elegant pearl necklace. In her hand, Cissy was holding a bouquet of freshly cut Persian yellow roses. In her high pinned hair, exposing her beautiful neck, she wore a goblin-made, diamond-studded Black's ancestral tiara. Lucius had not seen her wedding dress before; he had not expected to be so surprised by her appearance. Narcissa usually wore strong, vivid colors, contrasting with her alabaster skin and golden hair. Now, she looked completely different; she reminded him of the soft and bright May dawn. As he walked towards his father-in-law and Narcissa, he looked at her flushed cheeks and full, slightly parted, carmine lips. Lucius could not help but glance at her figure emphasized in every detail. Narcissa caught his gaze and smiled, looking him straight in the eye. There were lust and desire in them; he knew that both of them were thinking about the same thing. Lucius suddenly realized that Narcissa would soon become his wife, no more critical remarks, they would have a house to themselves. Finally, they will officially be able to share a bed, no more sneaking into his bachelor Chambers under the nose of prudish parents.

Lucius looked down at the ceremonial table, suddenly imagined Narcissa stretched out on her back in the mirror hall, lacing up her legs on his back. He thought about her soft breasts and pale pink nipples, stiff with excitement. Lucius thought about the touch of her skin, about her lips kissing his chest, her hands unfastening the silver buckle of his belt, touching his hard length..., He felt the pure lust rising in him, he wanted her _now_. He calmed down quickly. Cygnus shook his hand, then Narcissa took Lucius's arm. Her father smiled at him as he took his seat in the front row. Lucius was glad that he had recently applied himself to Occlumency; he didn't want anyone to know what he had just been thinking. Cissy cuddled lightly to his side; Lucis felt her scent; the intoxicating, sensual scent of white orchid flowers and sandalwood, the rustle of her satin dress drove him crazy. As he led her through the mirror hall, he felt multiple gazes sticking to the nape of his neck, but he didn't care, he couldn't think of anything other than her.

When they stood on the wedding rug, Cissy with her bridesmaids, Lucius with his groomsmen, and signed the wedding contract with the witnesses, the clerk finally began the ceremony. Lucius almost immediately stopped listening to him.

"We gathered here to..."

When he looked into Narcissa's emerald eyes while promising to be with her for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish her, till death do them part, he had seen pure joy in them. When, with trembling hands, he slipped a platinum wedding ring on her slim finger, Lucius thought that his marriage vow would be the most binding, the most important promise he will make in his life. The only one he will never break.

Lucius never cared about keeping his word; he was guided mainly by his benefits and profits that he could draw from his contracts. He never receded from blackmail or bribery; he had no limits if he wanted something; every way was good to achieve it. When there were people stupid enough to try to plunge him, they suddenly began to understand looking into Lucius's steel-gray eyes, that their life and health could very easily be in danger. Their fortune could be gone, the family would suddenly turn their back on them, friends would turn away. Bills of exchange whose credibility could not be doubted will turn out to be false, and the financial guarantors will stop answering their letters. They realized with horror that they had no chance against the power of this man. They sat stiffly in front of him, glumly watching him, when with a cold smile on his lips, he gave them papers they did not want to sign, forced them to vote as he saw fit, or ordered them to block an unfortunate bill. Lucius, of course, had his coterie in the ministry, which he supervised when he quit. He pulled strings with their hands; he cared for its members out of pure calculation and cynicism. He cared about their satisfaction; keeping them in good spirits meant that they did whatever he ordered. Lucius was not completely heartless, of course: he sincerely liked his friends who, unlike the people from the ministry, he respected and treated as equals; he loved his parents, but his dealings with women so far illustrated how much Lucius was self-centered and interested only in his pleasure.

Seducing them, he deeply cared about appearances. He pretended to be interested in how they spent their holidays and contributed to various charitable organizations. He was charming, opened the door for them, listened to the meaningless chatter about matters that he did not care about, thinking only about the moment when he would bed them and all these torments would end. He got bored with them quickly; after some time, sex became monotonous. Instead of trying harder, these women started to mumble something about the engagement that was beyond his endurance. When he abandoned them, saying to them coldly and calmly that, unfortunately, they could no longer continue this relationship, he looked into their tearful eyes with difficulty hiding his irritation. Lucius did not want to console anyone or participate in a small theater of tragedy. He had never been in love until he met Narcissa, several times he thought that he felt more than just pure lust, but each time he experienced a great disappointment. Only when Cissy appeared in his life, Lucius understood what true love was. He forgot about his needs; although he wanted her, he did not put pressure on her. Lucius did not care about quick, meaningless sex; he wanted to get to know her, he wanted her to know him. Being with her and listening to her voice was pleasant for him, he could lie with her for hours on the meadow and stroke her golden hair. He cared about her happiness. Since they started to be together, Lucius didn't even look at another woman. The next day after their first official meeting, in a short and blunt letter, he dismissed his current lover. Although faithfulness was never his strong point, the mere thought of cheating on Narcissa was disgusting for him

When they made love for the first time, Lucius was delighted with her soft, cool skin. He loved how her hair scattered in disorder, falling on his chest. Her touch put him nearly on the verge. When he finally felt her lips on his chest, on his stomach; when she was coming lower while unfastening the silver buckle of his belt and took him in her mouth; an indescribable pleasure overwhelmed him. He was not able to control himself; a low, sensual sound reverberated from the back of his throat. Lucius gently caressed her breasts, loving how sensitive they were. Narcissa moaned when he bit her hard nipples; when he made slow circles on her clit. Lucius loved her blushed cheeks and eyes half-closed in pleasure, he loved how wet she was for him. They were both careful and gentle; afraid of rush and negligence. When Lucius lied between her tighs; when he pushed inside her slowly, his whole body shivered; he lost himself completely in a pleasure incomparable to anything he ever experienced. He moved gently inside her, his chest rubbed her nipples and Narcissa groaned while sticking her nails into his back. She trembled too while lacing up her legs on his hips. Although it was their first time they knew precisely what to do, Lucius _instinctively_ knew what she wanted. His strokes became faster and harder, he embraced her tightly and they finally reached the climax together. It was ecstatic, intense; the whole world ceased to exist. Lucius lost himself; there was just the heat of her body, her low moan, her legs on his hips. Their breaths were heavy, irregular, it's been a while since they came back to reality. 

When Lucius laid satisfied and at ease with Cissy by his side, running his fingers over her silk-smooth back, he found himself ceasing to think about himself. He cared only about her sensations. He felt responsible for her; he felt responsible for their entire life together.

As Narcissa said the words of the marriage vow, looking deeply into his eyes, Lucius realized that she was the most important person for him. The whole world might not exist; he would not survive if something happened to her; if he suddenly had to be without her. After the clerk had finished the ceremony, young Mr. Malfoy embraced his newly wedded wife by the waist and kissed her passionately, pressing her tightly against him. She threw her arms around his neck and cuddled up to him. They had been waiting for this moment for many hours, though they kept telling each other that this wedding was just a formality, they both felt that everything would be different now. The guests started clapping their hands, and although Lucius had kissed Narcissa for too long and stood too close to her, no one paid any attention; it was their day, nothing could have spoiled it.

In the banquet hall, they received congratulations and gifts, exquisite and elegant. Jewelry, antiques, silverware, works of art. Abraxas and Galatea gave them a beautiful wedding portrait, and Cygnus fabulously expensive white ravens - for Narcissa about medicine, and her husband about the history of law. From Bella and Roddy they got tasteful, porcelain tableware. Avery presented Lucius with diamond cufflinks, while to Cissy he gave delicate platinum and ivory necklace. Dolohov brought them from Russia one of the few surviving enchanted Fabergé eggs, Lucius preferred not to know how his friend had obtained it. Snape gave them the Felix Felicis he brewed, and Fawley found a beautiful alabaster chess set somewhere - the pile of gifts was increasing. Lucius and Narcissa were shaking hands, smiling, exchanging pleasantries. They talked to their aunts and uncles, to cousins. Guests wished them happiness and prosperity. Abraxas approached his son and, to his amazement, hugged him warmly. Lucius for a moment felt as if he was a little boy again, he did not remember when his father had shown him feelings so openly. He did not expect that it would touch him so much. Galatea wiped her wet eyes and hugged them both. Lucius's friends patted him on the back smiling, Narcissa's friends looked curiously at the elegantly dressed young men, Lucius knew that Avery was interested in the red-haired Laura Polignac.

Cygnus hugged his son-in-law and Narcissa tightly. It was no secret that his father-in-law loved his daughters very much. He was not disappointed that he did not have a male heir, which was rare in aristocratic circles. Watching Cygnus held Narcissa in his arms and tenderly pushed the fringe from her forehead, Lucius smiled to himself. He thought that when that happens, he will try to be the best father for his child. Laughing, Bella grabbed her sister in her arms and embraced her tightly; they were very close to each other, Narcissa missed her while in France.

"Well, look at you," Bella said cheerfully. "Mrs. Malfoy, who would have thought! Six months ago, you didn't even want to hear about marriage, and here you are. And you didn't want to go back to England!"

"But I came back," Narcissa replied, smiling at her husband, "It was the best decision I made in my entire life."

"Have you already chosen the women's organizations"?

"Ah, I hate it." Narcissa grimaced slightly. "I will take Galatea's place as chairwoman of the organizational committee..."

"We all know you love to organize events," Lucius smiled at her, "Our engagement party, next to our wedding, is already considered one of the most important social events of the season..."

"Don't boast, Lucius, no wonder that everyone is interested in you, after all, you are widely recognizable," Bella poked his shoulder, "You were on the front pages for weeks after you had blocked this bill. Narcissa had not been in England for more than a month in ten years, and that scandal with Andromeda..., Let's not forget that you were the wealthiest bachelor in years; someone like you isn't marrying every day.'

"It disgusts me with whom a part of our society is associating with." Rabastan grimaced. "Half-blood is understandable, but mudbloods, muggles...,"

"I don't even want to talk about it," Narcissa said firmly, "Especially since it directly affected our family."

"By the way, you patched it beautifully Cissy," Roddy stood next to Bella and handed her a glass of wine, "There is almost no trace of this fight with Weasley. In just one day, it's very impressive...,"

"I'm a healer, I know what I'm doing," she smiled at him. "This article was disgusting, however."

"Nonsense," Snape said, patting Lucius on the shoulder, "Except for the very end, the end was true."

"I haven't behaved like a psycho killer..."

"Psycho killer maybe not, but you certainly looked like you wanted to murder him," Avery smiled, "Snape and Fawley barely pulled you away from him, I have never seen you so mad if you only saw him, Cissy..."

"I saw the picture, but I guess it's depicting even half of how it really looked. What did Weasley tell you?" Narcissa asked, glancing at her husband. We want to know"

" _We're not done here, you son of a bitch,_ " Thomas looked at Lucius and smirked wickedly. "It's a direct quote; Weasley must have seriously offended you.

"I don't want to talk about it," Lucius put an empty glass on the table. "Stop asking me, I won't repeat it."

"But why?" Narcissa wasn't going to let go," I don't think it'll hurt me, I've heard absolutely every rumor about myself. Nothing can hurt me right now, I've already married you.

"Darling, please... Dance with me." Lucius said suddenly, looking at her.

Surprised, she took his hand; a moment later he imperiously wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, far too close for the official situation. Narcissa felt the heat of his body through his clothing; his firmly muscled chest pressed on her breasts; she lightly touched his groin and felt his hardening cock against her abdomen. Lucius gasped; Cissy gritted her teeth in excitement. And they danced. Lucius led her confidently, the movements he had learned over the years were smooth and elegant; he was relaxed and calm. As they whirled in circles, Narcissa felt his scent; the deep, sensual, seductive scent of musk and cedarwood, and that scent made her head spin. Cissy imagined her wedding night and she felt the desire rising in her. She had never wanted anyone so much, sometimes she wanted him so badly that she felt physical pain. His touch brought her peace and relief. She looked at Lucius with eyes glittering as in fever; he smiled at her; Narcissa knew he was undressing her in his head. She walked down from the dance floor, holding his arm. Her knees buckling, her body cried for his slightest caress.

"I want you, Lucius," she whispered to him while smiling at his mother, "I want you, I can't take it anymore..."

"Soon," Lucius pressed her to his side. "Very soon."

For the next few hours of their wedding, they talked to the guests and exchanged ordinary pleasantries with them, received compliments and exchanged views, answered endless questions about the fight that Lucius was involved in, talked about their plans, about the honeymoon. They thanked everyone for coming and beautiful gifts, and finally after three am they bid farewell to the last guests and went to their marriage chambers. They felt a growing excitement standing in front of the carved door leading to their marital chambers in the south-west wing, from where they had a charming view of the lake.

"Wife," young Mr. Malfoy let her into the bedroom.

"Husband."

Narcissa took off her ancestral tiara and undressed. Lucius watched with delight as she loosened her hair; he loved the moment when her golden curls cascaded over her alabaster shoulders. The sight of her milky white body bathed in the moonlight made him lose it. He untied the bow tie, took off his jacket and shirt, walked over to Cissy, and kissed her, putting all his love and devotion into that kiss. He wanted her to know she was everything to him. Narcissa put her arms around his neck and he lifted her and set her on the windowsill by the wide-open window.

"It will always be like this," he whispered kissing her swan neck.

Lucius caressed her soft breasts, her nipples hardened as he pressed them gently. Cissy moaned; she could be as loud as she wanted now. She impatiently unbuckled the silver buckle of his belt and rubbed his hard length; they were both ready; they waited for this moment for a very long time. She laced his legs on his back, feeling the head of his cock pushing inside her body with a firm, hard stroke. They both groaned, it felt so _good._

"I can't live without you," Lucius whispered, his lips pressed against hers.

Narcissa looked into his steel-gray eyes, which always softened when he looked at her, now burning with lust and desire. She clasped her trembling hands on his shoulders; she cried in ecstasy as he moved faster inside her; harder; she couldn't think clearly when his chest rubbed her hard nipples as Lucius embraced her tightly. 

"You are the love of my life," she whispered in his ear, feeling the upcoming climax.

She was so close now; she felt Lucius's orgasm; his cock pulsed inside her, pumping his seed deep into her body. He kissed her passionately, still moving inside her. _So close..._ Narcissa shut her eyes and she felt him gently caressing her swollen, sensitive clit, he brushed her nipple with the tip of his tongue. Narcissa felt the overwhelming pleasure, she shivered. The tension eased, the pain disappeared, Cissy cried in ecstasy and leaned her head against the cold glass of the window. She was at ease, at last, breathing heavily, eyes still shut. Lucius couldn’t take his eyes off her face. Her blushed cheeks, her lips slightly parted; he loved to see her come, her reaction to his touch excited him. When she opened her eyes and looked at him she blushed a little, and that was the sweetest blush, innocent and girly. Cissy still was a bit embarrassed by the reaction of her body to his caresses. He kissed her gently, softly; he embraced her; stroked her silky-smooth back and fair hair. When they finally broke the contact of their lips, Lucius looked at her face, he pushed away a golden lock from her forehead.

“You are so beautiful, Cissy,” he took her in his arms; she was so light, so delicate. He laid her down on the bed and sat next to her, “I love to see you like this… Being with you, feeling your touch, your scent, making love to you… I love you, Cissy."

She kissed him and looked deeply into his eyes. 

"I love you too, Lucius," She stroked his cheek, “You’re the best that happened to me.” 

They did not sleep that night. When in the morning, tired and happy, with dark circles under their eyes, they stood in front of the fireplace to move to France for their honeymoon, they knew that the most beautiful chapter of their lives had just begun.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Malfoys spend their honeymoon in Paris. Not everything goes as planned, and old secrets come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE CHAPTER CONTAINS A GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE

The first two weeks of their honeymoon, young Malfoys spent in Paris, in the elegant apartment in Passy that Lucius had received from his parents for his seventeenth birthday. The suite was large and spacious, decorated in a French style; Narcissa liked the minimalist ebony furniture, tall windows, and crystal chandeliers. She used to sit on the windowsill and look at the bustling Paris streets. They visited Lucius's family; uncle André and aunt Cecilia were overjoyed. They had no children and loved their nephew very much. Narcissa conquered their hearts while engagement party. They rode horses together in their estate near Paris, Lucius and Narcissa twice had dinner with them, which ended late at night.

Lucius, showing her around the city, told her what he was doing and where. He showed her his favorite places; Narcissa didn't know Paris as well as he did, and while listening about his juvenile adventures, she realized how much Lucius had changed since he met her. Though he still was attracted to risk and adrenaline, he was mature and responsible - he was now a different man. When, before the wedding, they talked about their previous sexual partners, Narcissa was for a moment terrified by the number of his lovers. She was not a saint herself, but what he told her worried her - she was afraid that he would not be faithful to her. However, she quickly realized that this period was behind him too. As they attended parties and banquets in Paris, Narcissa saw other women gazing at her husband; as they watched him with their burning eyes when he put empty glasses on the table with nonchalance. She saw as they observed him when he smiled charmingly and loosened his bow tie. It gave her great satisfaction when they approached him and started flirting seductively, and Lucius coldly turned them down. Narcissa smirked to herself as they left defeated, hardly realizing that Lucius Malfoy, the same Lucius Malfoy who was famous for his love conquests a few years ago, was married, and his wife was everything to him. Now she trusted him completely.

They went to the gardens in Trocadéro, in the Bois de Vincennes or Boulogne they rode horses, in the evenings they walked around Montmartre and Cité, visited the catacombs of Paris. They went to antique shops and galleries where they spent exorbitant sums on works of art, rare books; on extravagant furniture. Their taste played harmoniously with each other, they liked similar things.

They ate at restaurants; they both loved French cuisine, its simplicity, and sophistication. Rabbit braised in red wine, oysters, coquilles st. Jacques, or coq au vin, duck confit, or béarnaise steak with asparagus, they could never decide what to choose. They drank perfectly matched top-shelf wines, cognac, or calvados for dessert. Lucius loved sweets, bought macaroons and éclairs; Narcissa laughed when her husband, walking past his favorite pastry shop, could not resist going inside, from where he was leaving after a while with a large box. They went shopping; Cissy left luxury boutiques laden with elegant bags. She chose dresses and blouses of classic cuts, silk scarves, leather handbags, toques with veils, jacquard jackets. Lucius measured black ties, vests, plants, and shirts, chose shoes and belts, cashmere scarves, and coats made of the finest fabrics, leather gloves. They went to jewelers; Narcissa received a beautiful emerald-studded necklace from her husband and Lucius platinum cufflinks as a gift from his wife.

They still couldn't get enough of themselves. They made love passionately; Narcissa's delicate body invariably delighted him. Lucius loved her soft, firm breasts with pale pink nipples, her round hips, and silky-smooth skin. As he ran his hands over Cissy's back when she rode him, Lucius shivered at the expression on his wife's face. Narcissa ecstatically reacted to his every touch, even the slightest one. She scared him when she slumped back against the pillows one night, breathing heavily; he looked anxiously at her burning, scarlet cheeks, and half-closed eyes. Lucius had never experienced such a situation; he was afraid that he had hurt her. Narcissa quickly assured him that everything was fine, she was also surprised; it had never happened before. Lucius was delighted with her boldness and straightforwardness. Cissy was not ashamed to say directly what she wanted and what she liked; their temperaments clicked perfectly together. Until dawn, they laid cuddled to one another; Lucius ran his fingers up and down her back, her stomach, her waist... He kissed her neck and whispered in her ear how much he loved her. Narcissa made her little laugh while gently kissing his chest; she tossed back her long hair while going lower and teasing him. She almost drove him mad as she kissed and touched everything but his hard length. And when she finally took him into her mouth, when she sucked the sensitive head of his cock everything started anew. While Narcissa was asleep, Lucius could look at her for hours. He listened to her deep, regular breath. Her delicate, pale face framed by hair spilled across a silk pillow delighted him.

When he read the correspondence in bed in the morning, he glanced surreptitiously at Narcissa pinned-up her hair, applied a burgundy lipstick and eyeliner. He watched as she put on stockings and carefully selected accessories. Lucius kissed her neck when she asked him to lace up her corset or button up her dress. He loved the scent of her intoxicating, spicy perfume, her hand cream, and soap. It was all new to him. Before the wedding, Cissy had her things in the guest chambers; Lucius did not see how she put make-up ok and brushed her hair - he could not take his eyes off it. In the evening, Narcissa leaned over a carved column and smiled at her husband as she smeared her hands with cream. Her long hair flowed down to her waist, the contours of her body clearly outlined under the delicate petticoat. Lucius felt pure lust watching her. 

After the wedding, the ability to control their lives finally returned to them. They did not have to deal with annoying parents whose good advice was of little interest to them. Finally, they could do what they wanted and not explain themselves to anyone; no one chatted over their ear about children, purity, decency, and temperance; hiding feelings, and keeping the proper distance. Lucius didn't care about appearances. At balls and banquets, he made sure that everyone noticed what he felt for his wife. While dancing, they were much too close, and they looked into each other's eyes in a very suggestive way.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here," Jean du Bartas suddenly came up to him. "Lucius Malfoy! It's been over a year since you quit your job in diplomacy!"

"Minister." Lucius shook his hand. "I would like to introduce you to my wife, Narcissa; we spend our honeymoon in Paris."

" _Enchantée._ " Cissy smiled at him endearingly. "I am pleased to meet you; my husband told me a lot about his diplomatic mission."

"I'm delighted," said the French Minister of Magic, kissing Cissy's hand, "Congratulations, even here we have heard about your wedding. And you, it seems, you studied here in France, is that right?

"Yes, I spent the whole ten years in the south," Narcissa gracefully tossed her fair har back; the pearl-studded bracelet on her wrist flickered in the candlelight. "I worked at the Salpêtrière hospital a moment after my graduation; I've returned to England three months ago."

"Ah, it was you! You won this award!" Jean du Bartas looked at her with curiosity, "For the best scientific publication, I knew that your name was familiar...,"

"That was me," Narcissa smiled at him, "I was wearing my maiden name back then."

"How are things going?" Lucius looked at the other end of the room, where the new consul was standing. "Is my successor doing well?"

"To be honest, it is not good." The minister shook his head, "It is much harder to work with him, he does not have your social skills and that specific type of _class_ proper to the English aristocracy. Your resignation was a great loss for us... I know he is here because of this program of your government; aimed at leveling the opportunities for muggle-borns, but it does more harm than good."

"Sorry to hear that," Lucius said, perfectly in control of his voice; he did not show that the mere fact of appointing some mud-blood in his position was disgusting to him. "As soon as I get things in order at the Manor, I intend t to return to my diplomatic career."

"Are you thinking of coming back to Paris? I do not conceal the fact that I would greatly appreciate it..."

"I will have to discuss it with my wife," Lucius pressed Narcissa to his side "If we decide to stay in England, I would most likely become the head of the department; if that happens, you can be _sure_ that such incidents would never happen again."

"Of course, I understand, this is not a decision that is made overnight," the French Minister of Magic nodded his head, "If you became the head of the department, it would be an enormous change. Who are they sending to these diplomatic missions..."

"This is outrageous," Narcissa wrinkled her nose, "Mud... I mean, muggle-borns do not understand our society. They are not able to adapt. Bringing them into a delicate field like diplomacy and hoping that they will do as well as us purebloods is naive, if not stupid."

"I have to agree with you," Jean du Bartas sighed heavily, "Unfortunately I'm afraid that this is a growing tendency...,

"We'll see about that," Lucius smiled endearingly, "Would you be able to send me a detailed report on the progress of the new consul? I'm sure I can do _something_ about his incompetence. I have many friends in the ministry."

"Of course, I will be glad to share my observations with you," Jean du Bartas shook his hand, "Should I send it to your Parisian address? You still have an apartment on Passy, I presume?"

"Yes, we're staying there."

"Excellent, marvelous neighborhood, by the way; one of the finest, your parents have exquisite taste."

"Thank you," Lucius shook his hand, "I'm waiting for a letter from you."

"I will try to arrange it as soon as possible," Jean du Bartas kissed Narcissa's hand, "It was very nice to talk to you, but now if you'll excuse me..."

They watched for a brief moment as the salt-and-pepper haired minister wearing a perfectly tailored tuxedo walked away from them to join his wife surrounded by a circle of his friends.

"Have you heard? He was _delighted."_ Lucius pulled her close to him, "Would you like to move to Paris?"

"He's not the only one." Narcissa giggled. "On the one hand, Paris is always a good idea... On the other, I have just returned to England; I would have to think about it. Anyway, let's not talk about it now..., Armand?!" Cissy released Lucius's hand. "I can't believe it! What are you doing here?!"

"You know each other?" Lucius watched in disbelief as his wife threw herself on Armand de Castellane's neck and kissed him on both cheeks while he lifted her like a younger sister.

"We went to school together," Armand, without a fuss, hugged his former colleague from the ministry warmly, "Well, don't look at me like that, I bet you all know from Hogwarts in England."

"That's exactly how it is," Narcissa smiled at him. "That's why I don't have any school friends at home. But, oh, tell me everything, what are you doing in Paris? You wrote to me that you came back to your mother, to Toulouse..."

"Just for a few days," Armand took a glass of wine, "She needed help with a meeting with lawyers. My sister is getting married soon; we wanted everything to be well secured. I came back to the capital not long ago, now I work in the Ministry of Justice."

"Considering your ancestry, it was the only choice," Lucius smiled at him; he knew Armand descended from an old, aristocratic family that gave France many outstanding lawyers, "What are you doing now?"

"I am the deputy head of the department; they promoted me six months ago." There was a hint of pride in Armand's voice. "All these years of studies finally paid off."

"Congratulations," Lucius shook his hand. "This is a great achievement, by no means a surprise; you deserved this position."

"Thank you," Armand beamed, "Congratulations to you; I will tell you honestly, Cissy, I did not expect you to come together; curious coincidence, I would've never thought. You look so happy together."

"We are," Narcissa cuddled to her husband's side, "Thank you, my friend."

"What are you thanking him for?"

Lucius turned at the sound of a low, cold voice; looked in the black, bottomless eyes of a handsome young man standing behind him. He noticed that Narcissa and Armand instantly turned white as chalk; Lucius suddenly felt that something was very wrong about this meeting.

"Cissy, what are you thanking him for?" The stranger repeated his question, "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Jacques, this is not the best moment," Armand quickly regained his wit, "I don't think Narcissa wants to talk to you...,"

'Let her decide. Cissy, who is this?"

"This is my husband," Narcissa looked him straight in the eye, " _Darling_ , let me introduce to you my _friend_ from school, Jacques de Marigny..."

"Lucius Malfoy."

They hadn't shaken hands and stared into each other's eyes in growing resentment. The weirdness of this situation suddenly struck young Mr. Malfoy. This man had some history with his wife; they stood facing each other in a full ballroom during his honeymoon, among colorful dresses and navy blue tuxedos.

 _"Jacques de something, apparently she was involved in some relationship in France..."_ Lucius suddenly remembered Arthur Weasley's words from three weeks ago and felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on him.

"If I understood you correctly, you had known each other from Beauxbatons?" Lucius smiled coldly at him, "de Marigny, right? It's a southern name if I am not mistaken?"

"Exactly," Jacques replied with an equally cold smile. "So you are married... I wonder how it happened?"

"Don't even pretend you didn't know it," Armand said sharply.

“It just happened, I proposed, and I was accepted.” Lucius didn't like the way Jacques de Marigny looked at his wife; he wrapped his arm around Narcissa's waist and pressed her to his side; the air immediately smelled of furious hostility, "That is none of your business."

"Oh really," Jacques barely concealed his irritation, he was looking angrily at the platinum wedding and engagement rings, shining obscenely on Narcissa's left hand. "Can we talk, Cissy?"

"You don't have to do this," Armand looked at her with concern. "You owe him nothing."

"That's right, I don't" Narcissa gave him a sharp look. "Fine, I'll talk to you Jacques, one last time. Let's go."

"Unless, of course, _your husband_ doesn't mind," de Marigny looked at Lucius defiantly.

"No, I don't," replied young Mr. Malfoy, keeping his voice perfectly under control, not showing how worried he was. "I'll find you later, darling."

Narcissa kissed him, but unlike usual, she was very tense; he looked for a moment at her bareback disappearing into the depths of the balcony.

"What the fuck was that?" Lucius looked hard at Armand. "Who is this man?"

"She didn't tell you about this?" de Castellane asked in surprise, "It was a high-profile case..."

"What happened?" There was steel in Lucius’s voice "What's going on?"

"They were friends at school," Armand said after a moment of silence. "Until Jacques confessed he loved her, but Narcissa did not want him. That was where it started... He stalked her until finally, the Beauxbatons board of governors intervened. They transferred Narcissa to different groups and forbade Jacques to come near her. It worked for some time until Jacques somehow figured out that she wanted to leave Provence for an internship at the Salpêtrière hospital; you know, in Normandy..."

"I know where the Salpêtrière hospital is, what's next?"

"Nobody knows how Jacques found out about it; we kept it to the strictest confidence, me, Jeanne, Marie, and Laura... Anyway, he discovered that Narcissa does not want to be close to him any longer than necessary, that is, until graduation. "Armand put the empty glass on the table, "He was furious, it was in the last year... If I hadn't skipped Potions..."

"Well? I'm listening, what happened?"

"The moment I entered the dormitory... Her shirt was torn; she was almost naked, beaten, and he was unfastening his belt while holding her with one hand." Armand wasn't looking at him; Lucius felt sick, "I stunned him and took her to the hospital wing... And then he was expelled, there are certain limits, his father's money couldn't change it...,"

"Fuck." Lucius loosened a bow tie under his neck. "Fuck me, excuse me, Armand, we'll talk later."

Avoiding people who wanted to talk to him, he felt a terrible fear for Narcissa. He couldn't understand why she had not told him about such an important aspect of her life. Lucius wasn't sure if Jacques de Marigny would make it out of this party alive. He thought he was walking through the ballroom for all eternity. _No, thank you, maybe another time... Yes, of course, please write to me, about this. Yes, I remember perfectly well; as if it were yesterday..._ Passing through the ballroom, he finally reached the balcony door and went out onto a spacious terrace, fenced with marble columns. Narcissa and Jacques stood far away from him. The closer he got to them, the better he could hear their conversation, neither of them even trying to whisper.

"... How could you do this to me, Cissy," Jacques sounded like a beaten dog, "You said you would never get married..."

"I was seventeen years old and thanks to you, I was unable to meet any man for a year! I was afraid for my life, I would tell anything so just you would leave me alone," Narcissa said icily, "I do not love you, I have never loved you, and I don't want to see you ever again!"

"Are you having sex with him? Is he hurting you? I can't believe you married him of your own free will," Jacques moved closer to her, he was standing far too close, "Oh Cissy, I'd love to touch your skin again...,"

"Yes, I do have sex with him, several times a week, I love him; this is my husband," she snapped icily, "You will never have me, accept it and leave me alone! What are you doing?! Narcissa tried to pull away, but Jacques de Marigny held her very tightly by both arms. He pushed her to the marble balustrade; Narcissa felt his hardening cock against her abdomen; she felt sick. Jacques was panting heavily; Narcissa was paralyzed with fear when he tried to part her tightly clamped legs.

"Don't touch me!" she cried and struggled while he tried to pull up her dress; her eyes grew dark; she was barely standing. Suddenly, Jacques's grip over her loosened; she heard the unpleasant sound of bone breaking.

"Leave her alone," Lucius drawled frostily, his eyes burning with the lust for murder. "And get the fuck out here because I cannot vouch for myself."

Jacques looked at him with hatred but obeyed. His nose was broken; his white shirt stained with blood. Lucius held his wand with a silver-carved snakehead in a left hand, pointing at his chest. Reluctantly, Jacques stood up, Narcissa straightened her gown, she was instantly at her husband's side. Lucius embraced and pressed her to his side.

"Get the fuck out!" Lucius growled, looking into the black, bottomless eyes of his adversary. "I don't want to see you again, understood? I'll kill you if you get close to her, you son of a bitch."

"We will see," said Jacques de Marigny mockingly, Goodbye, Cissy." He said and disapparated.

"Are you all right?" Lucius took off his jacket and covered her with it. He still saw as Jacques held his wife and the thought of what could've happened was unbearable. "Did he... Did he hurt you?"

"No," she said firmly and tears run down her eyes, "But if it wasn't for you...,"

Narcissa staggered, Lucius held her down; after a while, she clung to him with her whole body and cried out of stress and fear. She nestled her face in his shirt; when she felt his scent; his cool, clean, spicy scent of musk and cedarwood Cissy understood that she was safe. Lucius held her tight, he stroked her silky-smooth back, calmed her down with a soothing, low voice, assured her that he would not let anyone hurt her. Though his shirt was wet from her tears, he didn't care, he let her cry. Her alabaster arms were beginning to show bloody, navy blue bruises where de Marigny had held her. 

_"Her shirt was torn; she was almost naked, beaten, and he was unfastening his belt while holding her with one hand,_ " Lucius remembered Armand's words and felt a wave of rage rising in him. He calmed down with difficulty. He's been turned down more than once in his life, which was always disappointing and unpleasant, especially when he was younger, and it seemed to him that he knew everything about women. It never occurred to him, however, to resort to violence. He despised rapists, considered them weak, volatile, flawed individuals - who, like mudbloods, squibs, and other mongrels, should be eliminated from society.

Narcissa looked up at him with reddened eyes and smiled wryly.

"How are you feeling?" Lucius asked with concern.

"I feel faint," she replied with a trembling voice, "Please, let's go home."

"All right, Primrose," Lucius offered her arm, "Do you want to say goodbye?"

"No. I don't want to go back there." She said firmly. "I want to be at home."

When they apparated to Passy moments later, Narcissa immediately went to change and didn't come back for a long time; Lucius could only hear the water pouring in the bathroom. Young Mr. Malfoy untied his bow and unbuttoned his shirt, took off his jacket, having previously placed a silver cigarette case and house keys on the coffee table. He poured himself a cognac, lit up a cigarette, and went out to the balcony. He leaned against the wroth-iron balustrade and stared straight ahead. Listening to the sounds of the Parisian night he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. He took a deep drag; it worried him that Narcissa had not told him about the whole situation. He refused to even think about what she must have been going through three years ago, how she must have felt when she testified, describing what had happened to a mostly male tribunal.

Although he did not know the details of the case, he knew well the line of defense. Provocative clothes, contradictory signals, and so on and so on, the sentence was embarrassingly low. Lucius tried his best, but he couldn't stop imagining the seventeen-year-old Narcissa struggling in her school uniform torn at her chest. He couldn't stop thinking about Jacques de Marigny standing over her, panting with lust, pressing her to the bed with one hand and unfastening his trousers with the other. A moment later, Lucius recalled the image of his wife in the iron grip of her pursuer. 

_"I was unable to meet any man for a year,"_ he remembered Cissy's words and felt sick with disgust. He had never felt such an overwhelming, unstoppable hatred and a lust for murder in his life as he did at this moment for this man with bottomless black eyes.

"Darling?"

He turned at the sound of her voice - Narcissa was standing in the doorway, dressed in a simple black dress, holding a glass of cognac in her hand. She walked over to him and cuddled to his side, Lucius embraced her; she was already calm, she did not tremble, but he could see fear and pain in her eyes - the wounds healed for several years had been scratched, and he could not do anything about it. The awareness of it hurt him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better," she said softly. "We're going to have a long conversation, come with me, please."

He obediently followed her, and they sat down on the black sofa in the living room. Narcissa put her head in his lap and took his hand; her grip was very tight; she held it as if afraid that something would separate them in a moment.

"He was my friend," she said hollowly. "I met him at school; no one was as funny and intelligent as he was; we studied together, we spent our weekends together... We were inseparable. I was at his house; I met his parents. Later it turned out that, like me, he was interested in healing; he was very good at potions, even better than me. We wrote a dissertation together, on the use of bezoar in the treatment of poisoning. I liked him very much, but nothing more. He couldn't understand it.

Lucius did not interrupt her; it was hard for him to listen to the story; he will hear in detail how his wife survived the attempted rape; he didn't even want to think about how much she must have suffered.

"Around the middle of the sixth year, Jacques told me that he loved me, and I said very gently that I was not interested in him that way," she continued after a moment in a changed voice. "I realized that we would not be friends anymore; it is normal in this situation, but I have never expected him to start stalking me. He followed me everywhere. I went to the bathroom - Jacques was coming around the corner. I was eating breakfast - de Marigny appeared out of nowhere; I was in the library - the same. I went down to the common room in the morning - of course, he was waiting for me there, asking me out, and so on and so on...," Narcissa stopped and leaned closer to him." After a few months I had had enough, then I made my first mistake. I told him bluntly what I thought about it. told him to leave me alone and that I did not love him, which of course, only made everything worse."

"It's not your fault," Lucius said sharply, having a hard time controlling himself, "You did everything right."

"I could just keep ignoring it," she said softly. "Because after Jacques realized I didn't want anything from him, it got even worse." Not only did he not stop stalking me, but he also became possessive and aggressive. Whenever I spoke to any other boy in the corridor, he acted as if he wanted to kill me..., Until he attacked our transfiguration teacher because he thought I had an affair with him."

Lucius winced contemptuously, suddenly struck by how pathetic Jacques was at what he was doing.

"I decided then that I had to inform my parents; father was furious," Narcissa looked at him with her big emerald eyes. "The whole governor's board decided to suspend Jacques; they forbade him to approach me at all; they transferred me to different groups, and it worked for a while; he left me alone but not for long." Narcissa took a deep breath. "I didn't want to stay in Provence because of the whole situation; I wanted to go as far away from him as possible. Normandy seemed to be a very reasonable choice. I don't know how he found out about it; only a few people from my closest friends knew about it. I remember that day exactly. I was going down the stairs from the dormitory; I was already late for class when I saw him walking towards me. I wanted to get past him, but he was faster; he hit me in the face...," Narcissa did not look at Lucius. "It effectively immobilized me; even today I am much smaller and weaker than him... I was semi-conscious when he was tearing my shirt and underwear. When he started to touch me, I wanted to die, cease to exist. I was paralyzed, scared like an animal. I will never forget how brutally he thrust his hand between my legs...,"

Lucius felt sick, barely in control of himself; he knew that it would be difficult for him to hear the details of the story, but he did not expect that he would take it so badly. He already knew that the specter of a beaten, sexually abused Narcissa would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"I was a virgin back then," she continued after a while, "Of course, it was not my first experience, but still... If Armand hadn't skipped Potions and hadn't stopped it..., I was disgusted with my body. The testimony, then the trial, the tribunal..., I had to repeat everything in detail over and over again; answer tricky questions. What was I wearing, why wasn't I in class, whether the skirt revealed the knees or not." her voice quivered, Lucius saw tears flooding her eyes, "I was seventeen, I was wearing a school uniform, a tie, and a white shirt. They sentenced him for a year, he left after six months. It's good that they expelled him; I don't know how I would have managed if I had to watch him every day...,"

Narcissa wept spasmodically, clutching her husband's neck tightly, pressed her face against his shirt, and cried, trembling all over her body. Lucius embraced her, finding no words to comfort her; for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to say. Everything that flowed into his head was trivial and common. He held her tight, stroked her exposed, smooth back, her golden, waist-length hair. He was still digesting what Narcissa had told him all the time, and the more he thought about it, the more furious he was, he would have no qualms about murdering Jacques de Marigny. Lucius would look with satisfaction at the dying life in his eyes, his face twisted with pain. He would do it personally, with his own hands - a murderous spell was an easy, quick death, and Jacques de Marigny should suffer long and hard. Lucius would love to stick a dagger under his ribs and watch him slowly bleed out.

Narcissa looked up at him with red eyes, took the handkerchief from him, and rested her head on his chest.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through something like this, Primrose," "Lucius looked at her, and his heart tightened with regret, "I'm here, I would never...,"

"I know," Narcissa smiled at him through tears. "I know."

"How did you cope with this?" Lucius brushed a golden lock from her face. "I can't even imagine how you must have felt...,"

"I felt terrible, "she replied, holding his hand, "I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat... I devoted all my time and strength to school; spent the whole last year in the library. I was afraid of men; I was afraid of everything. The thought that he was somewhere out there was unbearable for me. It was only when I left for Normandy that I felt that I had to do something about it, that I couldn't live like this anymore. I chose very carefully the man I slept with for the first time. I told you about him, he was a nice, sweet boy; a healer from Paris... He bored me; I didn't love him, but he respected me, and I trusted him. I found out that the world is not composed of psychopaths, but I haven't been able to fall in love... until I met you."

Narcissa kissed him, Lucius kissed her back; he stopped thinking about what he would do to Jacques de Marigny. He freed her from her black dress and lace petticoat; he touched her differently than usual, with more delicacy and attention as if to assure her that he would never hurt her. For the first time in his life, Lucius paid so much care and attention to another person. He wanted Cissy to feel safe with him; he wanted her to trust him completely. His touch was soft and delicate; they both took their time, much longer than usual. It was so different than anything he had ever done, and yet he loved it. Lucius liked rough, intense sex - he always was bored by extensively long foreplay, by indecisive touch - it irritated him. While gently running his fingers on her bruised shoulders, he briefly thought that he didn't care how they would do it - they were together, and that was all that mattered. He kissed her neck; he touched her back; her thighs; his hands went up to her underpants and gently caressed her, the way she liked the most, which made Narcissa moan loudly. He softly kissed her breasts; he wanted to please her. Although he was already hard and desperately wanted her to touch his cock, Lucius didn't even mention it. He played by her rules. Cissy kissed him softly; she kissed his neck and chest; her hands went down to caress his stomach, and Lucius gasped with pleasure; he waited for this moment for so long. And yet, when Narcissa touched his hard length through his clothing; when she was about to unfasten the silver buckle of his belt; Lucius held her down. He didn't want her to do anything against herself.

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking into her glittering eyes, "We don't have to..."

"I've never been more sure in my life."

Nothing more mattered as they made love to each other on the black leather couch as if the whole world ceased to exist.

Narcissa quickly recovered from an unpleasant incident that had happened at the party. She was subdued and absent for a few days, she also wore more conservative clothes than usual, but Lucius did not comment - it was her right to deal with the way she wanted. On the third day at breakfast; she behaved completely normal but still wouldn't leave the house. They read books then, wrote letters; Lucius catch up with English newspapers; he learned that they had fired the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and there was a scandal involving embezzlement and fraud in the Department of Mysteries. He smiled with pity while reading the article; he would have never made such vulgar mistakes. Narcissa was taking notes, cuddling up to her husband on the couch, marking interesting passages in books; in the evenings she maintained her correspondence, glancing at Lucius every now and then - she made sure that he was close to her. The meeting with Monsieur de Marigny disturbed her more than expected; Narcissa thought that after three years, she would be able to look him in the face, after all, she was no longer a scared, seventeen-year-old girl. For three years, she matured and coped with the past; she became a woman well aware of herself, her body, and her beauty, she married a man she loved. When Cissy looked into Jacques's eyes - as cold and bottomless as three years ago - she was paralyzed with fear.

The nightmare she experienced came back to her and struck her with full force. The memories of that autumn day came alive again, all the details, colors, smells - Narcissa felt his hands on her once more, and she felt sick; she could hardly suppress nausea. When she went to talk to him, and he grabbed her arms with his iron hands, when he pressed her against the cold balustrade and tried to hurt her, she was sure that now Jacques would finish what he had started three years ago. Narcissa couldn't move, she couldn't scream - she stood there and looked at him feeling a sharp pain in the place where he kept her. She preferred not to think what would have happened if Lucius had not followed her; she had never felt as relieved as when she heard his low, steel-hard voice commanding Jacques to let go of her. Standing by his side, she was still terrified; the way de Marigny looked at her made her sick. Narcissa glanced surreptitiously at Lucius arranging his correspondence at a pretty, ebony secretary. Her husband, dressed in a black shirt and silk vest, was not looking at her, completely absorbed in arranging letters and papers in thematic piles; next to him stood a plate with an unfinished eclair.

Narcissa smiled to herself; she was very touched by how he liked sweets. Cissy was extremely grateful to him, not only for the fact that he had undoubtedly saved her from rape but also for all his subsequent behavior. Lucius listened to her without interrupting; he let her cry; he didn't judge her, which was very important to her. 

_"Are you sure?"_ She remembered his words and felt her voice stuck in her throat.

"Darling?"

"Hm?" Lucius glanced at her the over the letter. "Yes?

"I love you."

"I love you too."

For the rest of the week, they met with friends, invited them over for exquisite dinners. Narcissa wore her prettiest cocktail dresses again - low cut on the back in vivid, strong colors. Her petticoat rustled; she laughed loudly; she was herself once again; which brought her husband a great relief. They spent a lot of time with Armand, who came to them after work. Lucius' apartment was located close to the ministry - in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, there were many embassies and governmental entities. Armand told them about the most interesting cases he had worked on. He quoted files; he told Lucius everything that had happened in the world of the French political elite since Lucius had left Paris a year ago. Armand told anecdotes. Together with Narcissa, they showed Lucius photos from their school years. Those where M. de Marigny was not present. Cissy by the Mediterranean Sea in Montpellier, doing the horse riding on the beach. Cissy in the French Alps, at Armand's family estate. Cissy drunk for the first time; playing golf; as a debutante at the ball. Cissy in school uniform receiving her diploma..., Looking at the much younger Narcissa, Lucius thought that if she went to school with him, he would fall in love with her at first sight, just like almost three months ago, when he first saw her.

Their wife's friends were visiting them; the redheaded Laura Polignac asked about Avery, and Lucius answered all her questions. He smiled inwardly because Avery had sent him letters in which Laura was the main topic. They talked about pleasant trivialities, exchanged views, discussed art, politics, and literature; Lucius couldn't remember the last time he had had as many intellectually stimulating conversations as he had this week. All these people came from his social circle, well-educated, sophisticated, worldly, knowing languages - they understood all the references and allusions, had similar experiences and sense of humor, and above all shared his political opinions on blood purity. He regretted he had lost contact with Armand for a year; and made a firm resolution that it was something that needed to be changed. He knew that Narcissa's friends and de Castellane would be frequent guests to his house.

In the last week of their stay in Paris, Cyzia felt the urge to leave the house, so they indulged in their usual entertainment and pleasures. They went for walks along the Seine, bought baked chestnuts, wandered around Montmartre and the Luxembourg Gardens; they fell asleep in the morning and got up late - neither of them wanted to waste time. They began to attend parties and banquets again, where they were greeted with wishes and congratulations. They were considered a great attraction of the usually boring and tiring summer season - perfectly dressed, attractive, rich; both from England - they brought a breath of fresh air to the ossified world of the Parisian elite.

Returning from the last party before their departure, Lucius and Narcissa talked about trivialities; they both wanted to go for a walk it was not far from their apartment from the villa of the minister of magic. It was a warm, clear night. Narcissa was glad to accompany Lucius on inspection of the estates. When she came to England on vacation, she often went with her father to visit the Black properties - she liked meeting the overseers and looking at the well-kept real estates, fields, and gardens. Young Mr. Malfoy planned to return to the ministry and wondered how to play it best for himself. After reading the letter from the French minister of magic, he already knew that he absolutely must become head of the department; it was imperative to curb all these inept innovations introduced by his successors. Lucius was also dissatisfied with the members of his coterie. He had the impression that as soon as he stopped appearing in the government building, they significantly dropped out of work. They achieved the best results due to his direct presence in the office.

"The government's program of equal chances," Lucius said sarcastically," "Can you imagine it? It is absurd..., This new consul is a joke, I am not surprised that du Bartas is dissatisfied with him; he doesn't even know the diplomatic protocol...,"

"The sooner you get back to the ministry, the better," Narcissa threw her arms around his neck, "We would go to banquets, they would adore me..., I will befriend their wives. _Naturally, your secret will be completely safe with me, please, do not worry.._ ." Cissy smiled endearingly, " _I will try to do my best..."_

Lucius pressed her against him; he could not explain to himself why he always reacted to her so intensely. He kissed her passionately and looked at the short wall standing very close to them; the street was empty, it must have been after three, and Lucius felt desire rising in him - they hadn't done that yet. When Narcissa sat down on the wall, Lucius cast a careful glance at the street once more and noticed a shadow passing around the corner. It could have been a cat or a stray dog, but he felt instinctively that something was wrong; he always paid attention to his surroundings; had it not been for it, Lucius would have ended up with a twisted neck. A second later, he saw a figure fall from around the corner almost in slow motion; the spell was cast quickly and accurately. Lucius wouldn't have had time to block it; his wand rested hidden in his walking stick. The ricochet hit the building adjacent to them, and a piece of plaster fell off the wall. Young Mr. Malfoy blessed his wife - if not for a gift from her, he would probably be dead by now.

"Very clever," Jacques de Marigny took off his hood, "I thought it would go much easier."

"Stand back, Cissy," Lucius drew his wand with a smooth movement. "It's between us."

"Yes, stand back; I need you alive and intact..."

Neither of them had anything to hide behind; the street was empty - they stared at each other with intense tension. Lucius was further distracted by the fact that he was not alone. Narcissa, paralyzed by fear, stood a short distance away from him, staring in horror at the scene unfolding before her eyes. He never dueled at the same time paying attention to someone but himself. He passed her the lower part of his walking stick; Narcissa took it in silence - at least she had protection now.

"How noble, '' Jacques sneered. "You've stripped off the object that protected you..."

He paused because he had to block the spell cast by Lucius. Young Mr. Malfoy noted that de Marigny did so with some effort; that meant his reflexes weren't as quick as Lucius thought. He knew the type all too well; Jacques compensated for technical shortcomings with rhetorical tricks that meant to provoke the opponent. A few years ago, Lucius would have swallowed the bait in a long shot, but a couple of painful failures had taught him self-control. Jacques had no chance against him; young Mr. Malfoy blocked and cast spells effortlessly. It took less than fifteen minutes to push his opponent against the wall; he disarmed him and, holding the silk lapels of his jacket, Lucius pressed him against the wall.

"You're not so brave anymore, are you?" he drawled coldly, looking into his eyes, "And I told you to leave her alone...,"

Jacques wasn't about to give up so easily, he could fight better than duel, and young Mr. Malfoy was too self-confident and underestimated his opponent. De Marigny hit him in the face, Lucius staggered, and his eyes darkened for a moment. A second later, he felt a hard blow right in his chest; Lucius almost heard the sound of his ribs cracking when he fell down his knees breathless. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw de Marigny yank the short knife out of its scabbard; Lucius had nothing to block it. Instinctively he raised his right hand and felt a sharp pain in his forearm - he was sure the blade stopped at his bone. Thick, warm blood spilled from the open wound. As de Marigny pressed him to the wall, Lucius heard Narcissa's short scream somewhere in the distance.

"Well, now it's obvious," Jacques smirked at him, "You were not as dangerous as you thought...,"

Lucius felt the cold steel of the knife against his neck. He struggled with the last of his strength; his blood-slick clothes made it easier for him to break free from his opponent's grasp. He drew smoothly from his pocket a silver balisong and opened it with a trained movement of his wrist, just to stab it into Jacques's ribs. The bones crunched unpleasantly, and Lucius saw disbelief and fear in his eyes. He twisted the dagger with satisfaction, Jacques howled, then dropped to his knees.

"Cissy," de Marigny muttered, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, "Please...,"

Lucius stopped paying attention to him. He leaned heavily against the wall. The dagger fell from his hand; the adrenaline dropped, and Lucius felt he was weakening from the loss of blood. He couldn't breathe; his chest ached; for a brief moment, he thought that he never was so close to death. He did not know when he had slumped onto the Parisian pavement, nor when Narcissa kneeled next to him, torn his shirt, and made a tourniquet that she put on his forearm out of it. She did not cry, she looked at her husband with concern measuring his pulse - she was a healer. Although she feared for him, she knew that she had to stay calm. After a while, Lucius staggered to his feet, and they disapparated. The street was silent again.

A black and white stray cat sat on the wall nearby, carefully watching the street. The animal frightened at the sight of a foreign representative of his species slipping across the roof, only to return to licking his paw soaked in blood.

At home, Narcissa sent for Armand immediately; she knew that sooner or later the French ministry would discover what had happened and preferred to be prepared for it. She was looking at Lucius, his face swollen and his shirt wet with blood; he already had dark bruises all over his chest. For the first time in her life, she felt for Jacques de Marigny not fear but hatred; she hated him with all her heart; at the thought that he was dead, she felt vindictive satisfaction. She sat next to Lucius in a dirty, blood-smeared evening gown and waited for her school friend to come and tell her what to do. Narcissa didn't trust the French judicial system. After a while, the fireplace filled with emerald flames, and Armand stood in front of them in the living room, a stuffed lawyer briefcase and criminal code under his arm. He watched in silence at Lucius changing into a clean shirt, at his scarred forearm and swollen face, at his tightly bandaged chest - he already knew what had happened.

"I killed Jacques de Marigny," said young Mr. Malfoy calmly, buttoning up his vest, he felt no remorse.

"How did this happen?"

Armand noted down in his leather notebook, cursing under his breath, even he, knowing well the possibilities of M. de Marigny, did not think that he would be able to go that far. In less than an hour, two officers from the Justice Department knocked on Lucius's Paris apartment. At the sight of Armand, they were slightly confused. They were not used to direct contact with the deputy head of the department.

"Inspector Dubois, this is my partner, Inspector Delacroix," a senior ministry employee introduced himself and his colleague, "We are here about the murder of _Monsieur_ Jacques de Marigny, whose body was found this morning...,"

"This is my client's statement," Armand cut in swiftly, "A detailed description of the situation as well as of M. de Marigny's earlier history with Mrs. Narcissa Black, now Mr. Malfoy's wife." he handed them a bulky volume of files, "Jacques de Marigny was a dangerous psychopath...,"

Lucius was sick of it; he was tired and sore. He felt an unpleasant throbbing under the dressing applied by Cissy; breathing still was painful for him, he had not slept for almost a day. Lucius listened to Armand quoting the penal code; he knew well that his act would be subsumed under the right of self-defense, and he would return to England with Narcissa with no further problems. He did not like the look of the French inspectors or their disrespectful tone - but they had nothing to complain about and after a routine questioning lasting almost two hours, they had to leave. It was nearly seven in the morning when Armand gathered all his papers and closed his leather briefcase.

"In a month, you should get a letter informing you about the discontinuation of the proceedings," de Castellane shook his hand, "I will do my best to ensure that you never have to deal with it again."

"Thank you," Lucius smiled at him. "Thank you, Armand."

Narcissa hugged him goodbye, and for a moment, they watched him disappear in the green flames. They looked at each other in straining tension - they both knew that Lucius would not be coming to Paris for a diplomatic mission anytime soon.

  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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